Final Fantasy: Power Of Light
by Magus523
Summary: The world is terrorized by the four Fiends, evil godlike forces of nature. The last hope for life rests in the prophecy of the Light Warriors... Novelization.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

Aeons ago, the universe was created, and the four elements arose. Earth, Fire, Water and Wind united to create the world, and the life that dwelled upon it. First was Wind; with her wisdom, she created space and sky, air and atmosphere, so that the world may have a place to be. Next was Earth; with his strength, he created the land upon which all creatures dwell, and formed it to his will. Then was Water; with his kindness, he created the oceans and lakes, so that the world would ever be plentiful and healthy. Finally was Fire; with her passion, she created the heart of the planet and filled it with warmth, so that it might grow and change. And so the world was made, and the elements looked upon it and deemed it good.

As time passed, the world developed, and the Elements knew their work was unfinished. Together, they created life, and all of the creatures who would populate the world, both kind animal and fierce monster. Above them all, the Elements created their chosen species, who possessed intelligent thought and the capability to change the world for the better. Earth created the dwarven, powerfully built and short of stature, who built their homes within his surface and mined for the treasures he bestowed upon him. Fire created the elven, powerful and intelligent, who expanded their knowledge and will in magic to great lengths, always seeking more. Water created the merfolk, carefree and joyful, who darted beneath the waves in endless play. Wind created the dragonkin, wise and long-lived, who watched over the world below them and cared for it as diligently as the Elements themselves.

And finally, in concert, the elements created humankind, most numerous of all life forms, who built upon their world and shaped it to their liking. Other creatures rose to intelligence of their own will-the ogres and the sahagin, the giants and the imps, the medusae and the trolls and many more. Though they were wild and cruel to their neighboring species and cared not for the Elements, still did the Elements look upon them with kindness and deny them not the world.

And then chaos came upon the world, and everything changed.

Older than even the elements, chaos came upon them unawares and filled them with madness. Corrupted by chaos, the Elements became foul-minded and evil-willed, and were thus known as the Fiends. Tiamat, Fiend of Wind, with her hatred filled the sky with storms and lashed the world with lightning, raging against life with all her power. Lich, Fiend of Earth, with his cruelty spread rot through the earth, ripping his surface apart with quakes and plaguing it with pestilence. Kraken, Fiend of Water, with his malice drew the waves up to engulf the shores and filled the oceans with waves and wild monsters, seeking to drown and destroy all who dared approach his power. Kary, Fiend of Fire, with her hunger set the trees and fields ablaze, and brought volcanoes to spew her spite onto the world, destroying all within reach.

In time, the power of chaos dwindled, and the power of the Fiends as well, dying down and reverting into the kindly Elements. But each of them knew that in time, chaos would return and corrupt them once again. In desperation, they urged their peoples to prepare for their transformation so that their wrath may be stayed, but to no avail. The world proceeded in these cycles, a time of plenty followed by one of suffering, again and again with no end in sight.

Thus is how it stands today. It has been 200 years since all four Fiends rose, and the world is at a loss to endure their power. Despite the efforts of dwarves, elves, merfolk, dragons and humans alike, the world is covered in darkness. The wind stops, the sea is wild, the earth rots and the fires rage. To many, there is no end in sight. And yet, the people endure, survive, and wait for their only hope… a prophecy that holds the only key to how the Fiends may be halted. We, the Circle of Sages, were chosen as the bearers of this prophecy, but even we cannot understand it in totality. All we can glean is that it speaks of four champions, created by the world itself, to forever purge it of the stain caused by the Fiends. The prophecy begins, "When the world is in darkness, four Warriors will come… each bearing an Orb of Light." Here in Crescent Lake, we have convened for the purpose of decoding and understanding the Prophecy that came to the twelve of us, so that we may aid the destined four when they rise. This is all we know, all we can count on… these Light Warriors. _From the journals of Lukahn, Sage of Corneria_


	2. Chapter 1: The Show's About To Start

**_Chapter 1: Come Inside, The Show's About To Start_**

Once, the Temple of Elements had been a wondrous place. A perfectly square, white marble building with four corner towers, each one dedicated to one of the Temple's masters, bright and shining from the many windows that allowed the sun's light to smile upon the temple's interior, with people from all the world coming to praise the makers of the world and ask for their blessings. Once. Now, the Temple of Fiends was derelict, abandoned and collapsed in on itself like a rotting fruit. The towers were shrunken stubs, the windows all broken and covered, the shining white marble faded down to a dull, diseased-looking grey. The people were gone as well, none of them daring to come and see what had replaced them in the Temple's halls. Here, there were monsters… and far, far worse.

From the four corners of the temple, four beings emerged slowly, creeping through the darkness. Turning to stare only for a moment, the undead forces that held the Temple now scattered out of the way, scrambling to the side passages that the four visitors would be uninterested in. One skeleton was too slow; as one of the beings passed over it, it was obliterated without even the slightest trace of notice, consumed in flames by contact with the being. At the exact same moment, all four arrived in the central chamber, where the Master of the Temple waited.

"Greetings, all." Garland, the latest caretaker of the Temple Of Fiends, nodded to each of them in turn. "Lady Tiamat… Lord Kraken… Lord Lich…" He paused for a moment before turning to the last. "Lady Kary… must you snack upon my soldiers? Surely there are others…"

"Oh, did I? I didn't notice…" The being he addressed paused for a moment, then bowed its head in admission. "So I did… I apologize, Sir Garland."

"That's what happens when you come here while still half-asleep." Another of the four, the one that had been addressed as Kraken, growled. "Honestly, can't you take anything seriously?"

"I take my sleep seriously." Kary yawned theatrically. "Can I help it if I love those dreams so? But if I didn't take these seriously either, I wouldn't even show. Quit your griping, Kraken."

"Enough, both of you." The one that had been named as Tiamat shook its head… heads… in disgust. "Stop your petty squabbling. We have more important matters to attend to. It's them. They've finally reached maturity. The Light Warriors are growing ready to come at us."

"I noticed." Kary laughed horribly. "Such fun we shall have…"

"I don't really see what the big deal is about it." Kraken muttered. "Remember the Sky Warriors? They were fairly pathetic… I expect this lot will be the same. Humans, actually being a threat to us? Absurd."

"Well…" The fourth being, Lich, leaned forward and spoke for the first time. "Perhaps Lady Tiamat is right. She is the eldest of us this time around, after all… although it WOULD be silly to drop everything for this. Still, perhaps we should do something at least to remove them, rather than take the chance?"

"You seem to be forgetting who we have with us in our endeavor… Lich." Kraken sneered. "Chance is always on our side."

"Well, I don't want anybody removing mine." Kary shook her head. "He belongs to ME, and none of you are going to ruin my fun." Tiamat hissed in exasperation.

"All of you, stop quibbling! We rule this world, not play with it! If there is even the slightest hint of a threat to us, we must quell it!"

"Oh, so now you're taking his side?" Kraken grumbled, indicating Lich.

"Perhaps…" Garland spoke quietly, causing all four to fall silent and watch him. "Since you all seem so… busy… perhaps I can handle this for you. These Light Warriors… I can deal with it. You need not trouble yourselves with such petty matters as them." None of them responded for several moments before Tiamat finally spoke up.

"You… wish to handle this? I mean no insult, but in your… condition… can you manage them?"

"As you pointed out, Lady Tiamat, they are just beginning to start now." Garland reminded her. "They are nowhere near their potential power… which makes this the optimal time to remove them. If I act now, I should be able to kill them all and end this argument."

"Ah… they ARE all scattered across the world, Sir Garland." Lich informed him nervously. "They have not yet convened."

"But one of them is near here… in Corneria. I have been watching him." Garland explained. "He is close to the Princess there… who is also mentioned in passing by that stupid prophecy. To the Sages, she is necessary for their success… and for him, even more. If I take her…"

"I like it." Kraken smiled. "How cunning… trick them into coming together too early, and then wipe them out when they're weak. An excellent plan."

"Just don't completely obliterate them." Kary maintained. "Leave enough of mine for me to take back to my Volcano… that aside, I have no worries. Do as you think is best."

"I approve, of course." Lich followed hastily. "It sounds like you've got everything figured out. I know I'll rest easier when they're all in the ground."

"Hm… very well." Tiamat conceded. "However, I think I'll look into other things concerning this affair, just in case… for now, though, I see no harm in leaving things to you. Very well then… we are in agreement. Shall we leave you to your business then, sir knight?"

"If you do not mind." Garland nodded. Nodding back in farewell, the four beings of darkness drifted back the way they came, to the shattered corners of the Temple, where they faded away and were gone. Slowly, ever-so-slowly, Garland rose from his seat and walked to the back of the chamber, where a sphere of black crystal sat on an altar, like a hole in the world. Placing both hands upon it, Garland began murmuring to himself.

"Well then… let them come against me. We shall see what kind of power mortals can raise against the forces of absolute chaos themselves… and we shall see what we must do to crush them." As if in agreement, the crystal orb began emitting a low purr, and Garland spoke no more, completely entranced by it. After some time, he turned away and sent out a mental summons, causing a ghoul to walk in and bow to him.

"You have an order for us, master?"

"Yes… tell all who gather here to assemble, and prepare for battle." Garland ordered. "We go to Corneria. Let the humans tremble at the sight of us and wither as we howl. The hordes of chaos march." The ghoul smiled, a horrible thing to behold.

"As you command, master."

----------------------------

The seas, as always, were violent. Even the most well-built ship, such as this one, risked life and limb setting out upon them. Massive waves crashed against the side and slopped up onto the decks, and the winds caused nervous sailors to stumble about as they watched for their salvation.

"Land ho!" One of them cried out, pointing ahead of the vessel. "Looks like a harbor!" Excitedly, all the other sailors turned to look as well.

"It's a harbor, aye!" Another confirmed. "Got to be Corneria… we made it, lads!"

"Don't say things like that until we're safely docked." The first one warned him. "Kraken'll hear it and send a waterspout to spite us." The one who had spoken rashly went pale and nodded, knowing that if he persisted his shipmates would leave him in Corneria. None of them were willing to risk the attention of the Fiend of Water-there was enough danger already simply in his whim, and the creatures who served him. The ship's captain was promptly notified, and he himself went to a cabin where his two passengers waited.

"Is there something wrong, Captain?" The female of the two, a red-haired young woman in hooded white robes, looked to him curiously. The captain shook his head quickly.

"It's just the opposite, miss. Corneria has been sighted-we'll be docking there within the hour."

"Took long enough." The other passenger grunted laconically. Though his blue robes were unhooded, he instead wore a pointed, wide-brimmed straw hat that completely obscured his face in darkness.

"The seas are treacherous." The captain shrugged. "Every time I return home I think I've had enough chancing my life on them, but I can never actually stop. One of these days I suppose my luck'll run out, but until then… oh well. Anyways, thought you should know. I expect you'll want to disembark as soon as we get there… your business and all that." He bowed once then closed the door as he left, muttering something to himself about mages.

The docking went surprisingly well-for once, the seas played along near the coast and the ship was able to slide in without trouble. It helped that there were was only one other ship at the harbor, one of elvish make by the looks of it and flying the flag of that nation. As the captain had predicted, less than a minute after the anchor had been dropped the two passengers emerged, carrying their few possessions in bags over their shoulders.

"Thank you for conveying us here, Captain." The girl smiled at all of the crew. The other said nothing, his gaze on the city ahead of them.

"It's for the best, miss." The captain smiled back a bit uncertainly. "We'll all be wishing you luck." Walking down the gangplank, the two travelers quickly spotted the only other person on the docks, a brawny youth with a shock of tomato-red hair. He was wearing the armor of the Cornerian Guard, though for some reason he had chosen not to wear their helmet.

"Hello! I expect you would be the two Light Warriors from Gaia?" He greeted them warmly. "I'm here to show you to the castle. My name's Luke."

"It's nice to meet you, Luke." The white-robed woman nodded to him. "Yes, that's us… I'm Mary, and this is my brother, Vlad." Vlad nodded once, remaining silent. "Are you one of the Knights of Corneria?"

"Knight-in-training, actually." Luke admitted, scratching his head. "I haven't been knighted yet, but I'm working on it. The other one came in yesterday from Elfland-that's his ship over there. He'll be waiting at the inn." Turning, he led them through the gates into the city of Corneria itself. It was a pretty, though somewhat militant-looking, capital for the kingdom at the center of the world. The walls were high, and most of the houses were built so as to provide additional layers of defense should the need arise. The inn Luke referred to was near the city's entrance. A tan-skinned, somewhat short and scrawny elf with blue hair was lounging out front, clad in leather. As he saw them, he broke into a grin.

"Hey, Luke! The innkeep said the others had arrived and that you'd gone to say hi. These them?"

"You got it. These are Mary and Vlad from Gaia… and this here is Drake."

"From Elfland, in case you couldn't tell." Drake winked.

"You don't look like much." Vlad spoke for the first time since their arrival.

"Be nice, brother." Mary sighed, then smiled at the newcomer. "You're one of the Light Warriors as well then, Drake?"

"That's my job, it seems." Reaching into his own backpack, Drake pulled out a crystalline orb the size of his head. Though its surface was smooth and unblemished, the orb seemed filled with an internal darkness that clouded it completely, shutting out all light. "They tell me that since I've got this, I'm a hero. I guess I'm better than nothing. Same for you fellas?"

"More or less." Mary admitted as she and Vlad produced their own orbs. "I don't know how we'll do, but we'll certainly try our best."

"We were kind of counting on having more time to prepare." Vlad explained, sounding irritated. "I suppose it's not your fault you're not exactly intimidating… you were called to Corneria without any warning far ahead of time, like us." He looked at Luke. "I assume there's an explanation."

"Uh… yeah." Luke frowned darkly. "The King'll want to tell you about it… he's kind of involved. Let's go see him and he'll explain."

"Wait." Mary blinked. "Aren't there supposed to be four Light Warriors? Where's the other one?" After a moment, Drake began to chuckle.

"Luke, man. You didn't tell them?"

"Kind of slipped my mind, I guess…" Luke admitted as he pulled a fourth orb out. "Good thing I remembered to bring this. I'm the fourth one."

"Oh!" Mary smiled. "Well then, lead the way, Sir Luke!"

"Just Luke, please." The knight-in-training pleaded as they walked towards the back of the city, where the castle was situated. "I don't think I rate a sir yet, and even if I did it'd make me uncomfortable. We're going to be friends anyways, I hope."

"We'll see." Vlad grunted noncommittally.

Corneria Castle, the heart of the realm, was built up against the back wall of the city. It had once been bright and white, but years had faded it, though they had not brought the castle down. As they neared the massive entry doors, the guardsmen on either side of it glanced at them.

"Hey, Luke!" One of them greeted the youth. "The King's waiting to see the Light Warriors… are these them?"

"You got it, Mike." Luke nodded. "We're going up to see him now." Nodding, the guards opened the door for them and bowed deeply.

"We seem to have a reputation here." Drake noticed.

"Makes me uncomfortable, to be honest." Luke admitted.

"Us too." Mary laughed. "Back in Gaia, I mean. We always asked them to stop, but they never listened. What about you, Drake?"

"Eh? Oh, same here, same here." The elf shrugged. "So, where's the throne room?"

"Up here, on the second floor." Luke led them up the stairs into a long hall that stretched without any other side doors. Turning left, the Light Warriors walked to the hall's end. With a nod from Luke, the guards there opened those doors as well.

"The Light Warriors, your highness!" One of them called.

"Ah… you have arrived." The man sitting on the throne was a somewhat plain-looking man of middle years, with short blonde hair and a trim mustache. The red robes and crown didn't really suit him, but he bore them with an air of experience and responsibility. Smiling briefly, King John IV, Ruler of Corneria, looked them over. "Hm… well, welcome to Corneria at any rate. I hope you like our city."

"Looks pretty nice to me, your highness." Drake agreed easily. "Not as many trees as Elfland's capital, but I suppose that's to be expected."

"It looks wonderful, your highness." Mary smiled. To her left, Vlad nodded curtly before speaking.

"Your highness… why have you called us here? We all expected five years more at least before performing our duty… preferably ten. We're not exactly prepared, to put it lightly." The King looked at Luke with a frown.

"You didn't tell them, Luke?"

"Ah… I thought you would prefer to do so, your majesty." Luke frowned as well. "After all, it is your daughter who's… well… you know."

"Your daughter?" Drake blinked. "What's this now?"

"I suppose you're right…" King John leaned back with a hefty sigh. "Unfortunately, my young heroes, sometimes we cannot choose when the time to act comes. Allow me to provide you with a little background information. You all know, of course, that the Temple of Fiends lies northwest of here?" After waiting for them to nod, he continued. "Though none of the Fiends themselves reside there, it seems to be held in importance by all of them, and thus it is inhabited by foul monsters… large numbers of them. And in addition to those is Corneria's scourge… a man named Garland, also known as the Chaos Knight. He seems to have some connection to the Fiends, and has emerged periodically to ravage the lands around here for centuries… the stories say he was once the head of the Cornerian Guard, a good and noble man, but do not say how he changed and became our national enemy."

"How strong is he?" Mary inquired. The King shook his head.

"It seems to be a point of debate… records of olden days claim him to have power on par with the Fiends themselves, but that seems to be exaggerated… he's more of a figurehead for the monsters there, leading them to the slaughter and then letting them do as they wish. Even so, their strength is such that we have been unable to scour them from our lands… they're far from the most dangerous servants of the Fiends, but they have two major advantages. First, numbers. Second, their lair-the Temple of Fiends. No mortal man can set foot on that cursed ground and live."

"Except the destined ones. The Light Warriors. Us." Drake frowned. "I think I see where you're going with this, your majesty… you want us to take out this Garland. But I don't quite see why… or to be specific, I don't see why NOW. Like you said, Garland's been around for centuries… why would he rate us being called into action ahead of schedule and under-trained?"

"A recent development." King John explained grimly. "For the most part, Garland was not a critical threat to the kingdom… the capital is still strong enough to hold his armies off. When they marched, it was usually on small towns or villages, and we sent our own forces to chase them off. But then… a week ago… disaster struck. Garland and his monsters captured my youngest daughter, Princess Sara."

"What?" Mary's eyes widened. "How?"

"Luke… was there." King John looked at the knight-in-training again. "He can explain it better than I."

"Me and the Princess were out in the forest north of the castle." Luke recounted, subdued. "Out of nowhere, the monsters charged towards us… we ran, but we knew we wouldn't be able to get away. Sara told me to leave her so I could report this, saying they might take her alive but would kill me without a thought if I interfered. I refused, of course… but she pushed me into a river. I had some armor on, and by the time I got it off and came back up, they were already retreating with her. She was alive, I saw that, but…" He fell silent.

"So that's the situation, huh." Vlad stared at the King. "Problematic, I'll agree, your majesty… but, I don't think it quite justifies ruining the plan. None of us are hero material yet, and now that we've convened, we might not be able to UN-convene for more training. Is one princess really worth dooming the entire world?" Drake winced, but nodded.

"Bit harsh, Vlad… but you DO kind of have a point. Sorry, your majesty, but if everything rests on us like the prophecy said…"

"It's the prophecy that made his majesty decide on this course of action." Luke explained. "We're not the only thing in there, you know… Sara's mentioned in it. By name. The Sages haven't yet figured out exactly why, but she IS going to be important. If Garland kills her, that might screw it all."

"And we're the only ones who can save her." Mary realized. "Because only the Light Warriors can go into the Temple Of Fiends."

"That's the gist of it, I'm afraid." King John admitted. "I'm sorry, believe me… if this was just about my daughter, I would indeed have to make a decision that would destroy me… but it's not. All I can do, is ask for your forgiveness, and your aid. Please… save my daughter."

"We can't overlook the possibility that this might be exactly what they're planning." Vlad noted. "To lure us into a trap and destroy us while we're weak. It sounds like what they'd do."

"Yeah, maybe." Drake scowled. "But like it or not, if the prophecy says we'll need her, we don't have a choice in the matter. Looks like we're committed. I'm in… as I assume you are already, Luke?"

"Of course." Luke nodded. "Sara's my friend. I'd die to save her… and just because she wouldn't let me once doesn't mean I won't risk it again."

"I suppose we've got no choice in the matter either." Mary smiled. "I'm not much for fighting, but I can help keep us on our feet… if we all give it everything we have, we might be able to pull it off." After a moment, Vlad sighed deeply.

"I still don't like this, but if you three got killed I'd be doomed anyways, so I might as well join in."

"Thank you… all of you." The King smiled. "I've already arranged for the finest rooms in the inn to be reserved for you."

"I'll show you around the city." Luke offered. "We can hit all the shops… weapons, armor…"

"Magic?" Vlad questioned, eyes glowing. Luke nodded.

"That too… and then we can leave tomorrow if you're ready."

"Might as well." Drake chuckled. "Ah well, at least it won't be boring, eh?"

----------------------------

"Uh, Luke… I've been meaning to ask about something." Drake coughed politely as the two of them waited for Vlad and Mary to come back out of the local magic shops. "The prices around here are kinda… low."

"Yeah, our economy's having problems at the moment." Luke admitted as the other two Light Warriors walked out to join them. "The scholars all say it'll perk up again pretty soon, though."

"It's just as well, all things considered." Mary pointed out. "We're not exactly rich… it took nearly all the money we had to persuade a ship to take us to Corneria. As a matter of fact, we're fresh out now. I'm glad the King cleared us for the inn."

"Same here." Drake admitted, then chuckled. "Well, if we ever go back to Elfland, things'll be quite a bit different. Fair warning."

"The same goes for Gaia." Mary sighed. "I was hoping we could get a few healing potions for the trip to the Temple, but oh well." Drake frowned speculatively.

"Now hold on. We might have a way… I don't know about this place, but back home, there was always a quick way to get money for people of our… particular talents." Luke caught on immediately.

"Monster hunting, you mean?" The elf nodded. "Well, the guards here do that as well, but they don't pay all that well… still, I suppose we should probably practice working together before we actually head out to the Temple, so we might as well."

"What kind of monsters are there around here?" Mary inquired as they walked towards the city gates. "Around Gaia, they're too dangerous for most people to do that… the local merchants still offer fixed bounties for thinning the populations, but only the best warriors and sorcerers around can actually do it. "

"Except for the area around the Temple, it's pretty tame, actually." Luke shrugged. "Mostly Imps, although local wolves and occasionally a horse get turned nasty by the Temple's aura. Some of them even turn grey and seem to get stronger… the Sage who used to be here, Lukahn, said Garland did something to them to cause it. Still, we should be able to handle them without much fuss." As they left the city gates, Luke looked around and sighed. "Me and Sara never had any trouble with them, anyways…" He pointed towards the edge of a forest that circled most of the city save its front. "Probably some in there." True to his word, as soon as they slipped between the trees, there was an angry chittering and five short, humanoid creatures jumped out of the underbrush. They were all wearing simple clothes the same orange as their hair, and in their hands they clutched tiny daggers.

"Imps, I presume?" Drake drawled as he drew a long rapier that was the standard of the Cornerian Army. Luke had a matching one that he held low as the two of them stepped up, side by side, to the front of the fray. The first Imp charged at him and got its head removed for its efforts, but while it did, another one jumped onto his shoulder. "I got it!" Yelling, Drake stabbed it in the neck, and his Rapier went through cleanly-scratching Luke as well.

"Hey, watch it!" The warrior grunted, then turned as another shape jumped out, shrieking. This one's skin was an ashen grey, and its hair and clothes a dull purple. "Oh great, their boss. I'll take him-you guys hit the others!"

"Got it-whoa!" Drake spun as the third and fourth Imps both jumped him, while the last one edged around towards the siblings from Gaia, who were watching and waiting. Grunting, Drake attempted to fend his attackers off, without much success. "Little help here?"

"If you insist." Sighing, Vlad glanced at his sister, then raised his hands. A bolt of lightning plunged out of the sky into one Imp, frying it instantly as well as slightly singing Drake. "Hm… still need to work on that one's control a bit."

"You think?" Drake yelled, waving a puff of smoke out of his face, then wincing as the other Imp sliced him across the face. Gasping, Mary ran up while at the same time, Luke glanced over from the slain Grey Imp.

"Hold on, buddy!" The Knight-in-training yelled, running up just as Mary began swinging a massive iron hammer.

"Get off him, you-oh, no!" Instead of hitting the Imp, the hammer bounced off of Luke's head. The warrior winced, but remained upright.

"Good thing I've got a hard head… whoa!" Scowling, he suddenly plunged his sword over Mary's shoulder into the Imp that had been about to stab her in the back. "Close one…"

"Take that, and that…" Drake was snarling, stabbing at the last Imp. As Vlad raised his hands again, Luke turned to the elf.

"Uh, Drake… it's dead, already."

"Huh? Oh, it is. Whoops." The elf stepped back-just in time, as it turned out, as another lightning bolt sizzled down and obliterated most of the corpse. "Yikes! Man, what'd Luke just say?"

"I couldn't see clearly past you, and I'd already cast the spell when he pointed that out." Vlad explained gruffly.

"Well, at least the head's still intact." Luke attempted to smile. "That's the part we need for the bounty… although it does look like we need to work on our teamwork a little."

"Gee, think so?" Vlad muttered caustically.  
"Sorry about that…" Mary sighed. "I've never been able to get the hang of most weapons… all I can do is swing this thing around. Doesn't take much skill. I'll try to work on my aim." She brightened up a moment at a thought. "Well, at least I can do this." As she chanted some strange words, green sparkles settled over Luke and Drake, healing their wounds.

"A White Mage… and your brother's a Black Mage." Luke nodded. "Handy stuff… although from what I hear, it's fairly exhaustive to use it too much."

"It is." Vlad admitted. "But I'm not much for weapons either…" He showed them a small knife much like the ones the Imps had been wielding. "I'm the opposite of my sister… I've never been able to wield anything heavier than this. If I get the chance I can stab a vital point, but that doesn't happen too often, so…" He sighed.

"Well, practice makes perfect." Luke shrugged. "Today's just warmup, but when we're headed to the Temple you should probably save the magic for when we need it." Vlad nodded perfunctorily.

"Well, aren't we all bundles of sunshine." Drake chuckled. "Hey, it could have been worse." Mary blinked.

"How, exactly?"

"Nobody else was here to SEE that." Drake explained. "And none of them lived to report back what kind of stooges we were." Luke and Mary chuckled, but Vlad just glared at him.

"I fail to see the humor in this." He began walking away. "Instead of wasting our time jabbering, perhaps we could go find some more. This time, let's try not to make COMPLETE fools of ourselves." Drake winced.

"Sheesh, tough crowd THERE."

"He's always been… grumpy, I'm afraid." Mary apologized. "He really doesn't mean it most of the time. "I suppose he does have a point, though."

"Yeah, I guess." Luke admitted. "Well, tallyho then."

Fortunately, all of the fights after that turned out better than the first disaster, even when they ran into some of the wolves and horses Luke had mentioned. In the end, they brought back more than enough heads to buy the potions Mary had wanted, and left over enough to pay for dinner and a round of drinks at the inn.

"Are you going to be staying at this place tonight too, then?" Drake asked Luke as two of them clinked their mugs together. "You're from here… don'tcha have a house or something?"

"Well yeah, my family lives in the city, but I've been bunking down in the guards' quarters ever since I joined up." Luke explained. "Tonight, I figure I might as well sleep here since we'll be leaving early in the morning and this place is right near the front gate. The King's paying anyways."

"What's your family like?" Mary inquired, sipping from her own cup of fairly weak wine. "If you don't mind us asking, that is."

"Not at all." The knight-in-training chuckled. "Actually, we're pretty heavily connected to the Cornerian Army… my dad was Captain of the Guard before he retired and passed it on to my brother. When Lukahn discovered that my family held an Orb, we all thought my bro would be the one, but it reacted to me instead… he didn't mind, though. Just laughed and told me I'd better start my training early. Good call, as it turned out."

"That explains why you and Princess Sara were hanging out." Drake noted. "Thought it was a bit odd that she'd be out with just one trainee around-no offense."

"None taken." Luke nodded as he finished his ale and signaled the barkeep for another. "Yeah, the royal family and mine go way back… so since me and Sara were around the same age, we hit it off pretty early on. I helped her sneak out of the palace when she was sick of all the royal hum-drumming-which happened quite often. Matter of fact, that was what we were doing when… well, when the incident happened." Falling silent, he took a long drink before turning back to them. "I'm sorry… I'm going on. I'm sure you all have more interesting stories than I do."

"Not really." Drake shrugged, leaning back. "Pretty ordinary, really… mom brought me up, and we all figured I'd just be another normal guy until the soldiers start searching everybody, looking for whatever family has the Orb. Surprise surprise, it turned out to be mine and suddenly I'm a hero. Story of my life." He glanced at Mary. "What about you two? You said you're from Gaia, right? That northern kingdom way up in the mountains?"

"That's it… it's completely isolated. Neither of us had ever set foot out of it until we received the call to come here." Mary admitted. "Up there, they knew who we were right away… we've been undergoing our magic training our entire lives. It's more boring than you'd think, though… mostly theory and logicistics. It seemed like forever before they actually started teaching us specific spells."

"This is all well and good, I suppose." Vlad spoke suddenly from the corner where he was slumped over his cup. Surprising both the other men, he had ordered the strongest brew the inn's tavern offered, and had been quietly sipping it without much sign of its effects. "But now that we're all acquainted, perhaps we could turn the conversation to more important matters. Namely, our mission. You're the local, Luke… mind telling us some details on the Temple?"

"Right." Luke nodded. "The Temple Of Fiends is northwest of here-about a day and a half's walk if we don't get in too many fights along the way. If we do, we'll have to camp a fair distance away on the second night. We do NOT want to hit that place when it's dark out."

"Amen to THAT." Drake agreed fervently. "So what kinds of monsters does he have at his command, anyways?"

"Mostly undead." Luke explained. "Some of the surrounding wild ones, too… a few giant spiders. But the main problem are the corpse corps. Skeletons, zombies and ghouls… bad enough by themselves, much worse in huge numbers."

"Well, I've got some holy magic that will do a number on them." Mary smiled confidently.

"Awesome… that should help." Drake turned to Vlad. "What about you? The lightning's impressive and all, but the undead tend to burn better than they jolt. I know that much about black magic. Can you do fire as well?"

"If I have to." Vlad confirmed, sounding a bit reluctant. "Even with our spells and your steel, though, I'm hoping you're not just counting on us demolishing the entire lot of them. That's not happening."

"No way." Luke snorted. "The royal family has an ancient map of the Temple… from the entrance, the main chamber is straight ahead. If we move fast, we should only have to plow through a few to reach that, and chances are Garland will be in there with the Princess. He's probably not totally rational, but at least we can talk to him… maybe we can convince him to have his armies stand down so he can fight us personally. He's got quite the ego-we've seen that much of him to know that-so if we can offend him… well, it's worth a shot, anyways. It's not much of a plan, I know, but it's the best we can do under the circumstances."

"It will do." Vlad decided, rising. "If that's settled then, I will be turning in. Hopefully this will help me sleep better… I'll need it."

"I know we're gonna start early, but come on." Drake laughed, finishing his own mug. "We've just met, but we're going to be together for a long time if all goes well. Let's chat a bit longer, huh?" Vlad paused from his path across the room, then turned to glare at him.

"We will be associates-you are correct in that. Destiny is forcing us to work together, and I am resigned to that. However, it is hardly required that we get along… and that goes for YOU in particular, as far as I'm concerned. Goodnight." He left, and Drake shook his head.

"Just wish I knew what it was I did to piss him off so much so I could apologize already…"

"It's just the way he is, I'm afraid." Mary apologized. "Even when he was younger, he was always a bit sullen… and this situation has put him in an even worse mood than normal. Sorry Luke, but it's the truth… none of us were expecting this to come so soon."

"I wasn't either." Luke stared down into his mug. Neither Drake nor Mary had much to say to that, and Vlad's departure had left them all less talkative. After finishing their cups, they all decided to head to their rooms as well.

----------------------------

Waking from a troubling dream of Sara and Garland, Luke rose and dressed just as the sun was beginning to rise. Walking out into the hall, he saw that Vlad's door was open; the black mage was sitting in a chair and reading a book.

"So you're up as well." Vlad closed the tome and stood. "I'll rouse my sister, then." Nodding, Luke knocked on Drake's door. After a few moments, the elf called through it that he'd be out in a moment, and true to his word he soon was, rubbing sleep from his eyes but ready to go. Soon after Mary joined them and the four of them slipped out through the town's gates.

The trip to the Temple Of Fiends was mostly uneventful on the first day; staying clear of the forests allowed them to avoid the majority of the monsters in the area, although there was still an occasional encounter. After one last brawl on the edge of a swamp with a pack of wolves, in which Luke's arm had been savaged by a grey leader and required healing from Mary, they broke camp. Fortunately, there was no need to set up a complicated campsite; one of the shops in Corneria sold enchanted tents that could be carried in miniature form, then disenchanted to full size for one night before dissipating into nothingness.

"These things sure are convenient, aren't they?" Mary remarked as hers appeared in a puff of smoke. "It's a shame we don't know how to make them… our teachers were more concerned with teaching us spells that would be practical in battle." She glanced over to where Drake was roasting the remains of a maddened pony they had encountered over their campfire. "Are you sure that's safe to eat?"

"Positive." Luke confirmed. "When soldiers around here head out of the city they always supplement their stores with these… and the wolves if they start to run out. Never heard of anybody trying roast Imp before though, so I wouldn't recommend that."

"Yeah, I think we can all agree to pass on that one." Drake commented. "Right, looks like this is about done." Even with the seasonings he had added, horse was far from being the most delicious meat in the world, but they all ate it regardless along with some dried fruits and vegetables.

"Well, it's better than beans and bread, at least." Luke chuckled. Drake winced.

"Doing better than military rations is hardly much of a compliment, my friend. If we make it back to Corneria I'm going to spend some time looking up what we'll be able to carry in real supplies for the next trip. There's got to be some dried or salted meat that'll keep."

"Perhaps goat." Vlad suggested with just a trace of humor. Drake shuddered.

"On second thought, I wonder what fried wolf tastes like." Mary and Luke both laughed at that, and there was even something almost resembling a smile in the darkness under Vlad's hat. After they had finished, Luke yawned and looked around.

"I suppose we should settle the issue of who takes what watch."

"I'll handle most of it." Vlad offered. "I'll only need two or three hours… if somebody else can stay up that long, I'll take the watch for the rest of the night after I wake up."

"You sure about that?" Drake wondered. "No insult meant, but that's not much sleep, and tomorrow WILL be a big day."

"I don't sleep much… I never do." Vlad walked into his tent. Luke shrugged.

"Well, whatever. I'll take it tonight, then, and if we live out tomorrow one of you guys can take it then." Mary nodded.

"Seems fair enough."

"Initiative… good quality in a fearless leader." Drake winked. "We'll be catching out beauty sleep then. Let's all dream of not horrible death!" The elf and the White Mage turned in, leaving Luke to sit by the fire and watch for monsters. Two hours passed with only a lone wolf causing trouble, the young knight dealing with that without waking the others. After three hours, Vlad emerged as he had promised and took the watch.

The next day, they arrived at the Temple Of Fiends.

"There it is." Luke grunted as they emerged from a swamp that had contained several of Garland's servants on patrol. Ahead of them, the Temple squatted in fallen grandeur; although they knew it was still inhabited, from the outside it looked like a complete wreckage. Ornamental pillars were toppled, decorative carvings crumbled… the roof was partially collapsed, and the entryway was a gaping hole. With a pair of half-closed windows above, it looked like the maw of some huge, long-deceased beast.

"It looks shoddier than I expected, but still… creepy." Drake shuddered. "It's like it was intentional… like whoever's in charge of it now WANTED it to be broken." Mary shook her head in disgust.

"I'm sure they did… I can feel the foulness of it even from here. Good people have no place there… we have to get the Princess out if it's not too late."

"Don't even suggest that." Luke muttered. "Let's go, then. Smash through the guys at the entrance and make for the center room." They all paused and took a deep breath, and then they charged.

"If they're undead, we'll start things off." Vlad growled, and Mary nodded affirmatively. That guess turned out to be correct; three rotting zombies lurked just inside the entryway. They lurched forward as soon as they saw the Light Warriors, claws outstretched… and then the clothing of the leftmost one burst into flame, quickly spreading to its flesh, as Vlad cast his spell. The other two fearfully scrambled away from it, but Mary was attacking as well. A beam of white light blasted forth from her outstretched hands and struck the zombie head-on. Instantly, it dissolved into dust. The third one stared first at one fallen ally, then the other, and by the time it looked forward again Luke's sword was already falling on it in a massive overhead stab, spearing it through. Without pausing, he ran inside.

"Hey, wait for us!" Drake yelled as the other three followed. Luke turned back to look at them, and in that moment, a huge blue spider leaped from a dark hall to the side and sank its fangs into him. A stab from Drake killed it, but the fighter was already groaning, skin around the bite turning a sick green.

"Poison… good thing we bought this. Drink it." Mary instructed, handing him a bottled liquid. Luke did so, and the coloration faded within moments. "Let's be careful… I only have one more."

"Sorry." Luke shook his head, apologizing even as he sliced apart a moaning ghoul. "I just… got carried away."

"We all know you want to save the Princess." Drake nodded, joining him and killing another with a few well-placed thrusts. "But we do too, you know. We're your buddies… let us help you." As if to echo that statement, a hammer and a dagger each slammed into two more spiders that had been sneaking up on Luke and Drake.

"Garland's that way, as I recall." Vlad pointed towards the center of the Temple. "Shall we stop wasting time on these, or did you want to taunt death even more than we already are?"

"Let's go." Luke gripped his sword firmly and chopped open the door to the central chamber without even looking to see if it was locked.

"Who dares?" The man inside turned around as he heard the noise with a dramatic flourish of his purple cape. Underneath it, he wore polished armor that completely obscured his entire form. Even in the horned helmet, the only gaps were tiny slits for his eyes, and in the darkened Temple, nothing could be seen in those. Several bats flew around, squeaking. Beyond him, a massive altar was visible, and on it lay a young woman in a simple red dress. Although it was plain and there was no crown visible in her blonde hair, there was no doubt to any of them that it was Princess Sara.

"She's breathing… she's still alive." Mary quickly pointed out. Luke exhaled heavily.

"Thank the Gods."

"You didn't answer me… how rude." Garland snapped. "I don't quite see why you're so concerned over her… she's MY princess, not yours. Mine, do you hear me? Don't you dare touch her, or I'll kill you!"

"Excuse me?" Luke's eyes went flat. "Since when was she yours? She belongs to herself. Nobody else."

"She's mine! MINE!" Garland screamed, looking as if he was about to start frothing at the mouth. "I'll kill you, you… wait." He stopped in sudden realization. "I know you… you're not just some derelict intruders! You're the Light Warriors!"

"You got it." Drake suggestively tested the point of his blade. "The one and only. We figured you'd be a good place to start off our career against the Fiends." Garland stared at them for a moment, then burst into mocking laughter.

"You impertinent fools! You have no idea who I am, do you? I am GARLAND! I am the CHAOS KNIGHT!"

"Save it for somebody who cares." Luke growled.

"Master Garland!" A ghoul behind them hissed. "Sorry we're late, sir… we'll take care of this rabble!"

"No need." Garland growled. "These brats have offended me!"

"That's a darn shame, that is." Drake shook his head. "How can we ever apologize?" Garland slowly drew his own sword from his belt. It was longer and more solid than either of the other two, and he held it expertly.

"You will die, of course… that's how." The Chaos Knight struck a pose. "I, Garland, shall… shall…" He faltered for a moment before finishing lamely. "Shall knock you all down!"

"That's the best you can do?" Drake snorted as he and Vlad charged. "Hope your swordplay's better than your wordplay!" In response, Garland slammed his blade against the elf's with enough force to slam him back into the opposing wall. "Okay I deserved that OW!"

"So you aren't all talk… good." Luke slashed at his enemy's shoulder. "I was starting to wonder!" Garland just laughed and began trading blows with him; the heavier armored fighter stood up to the strikes better than Drake had, but before long one of Garland's hits slipped past his guard and drew blood all along his left arm. Luke stumbled, and Garland raised his sword for the killing blow… and like it was a lightning rod, a bolt of electricity slammed through it and down into the armor.

"Metal conducts electricity. Lesson for the day." Vlad informed him coldly. Garland bent over, smoke hissing out from his armor, but then he moved again, charging the black mage. Surprised, Vlad attempted to ward him off with his dagger, but the Chaos Knight sent it skittering away before tearing into his victim with a massive swing.

"Brother!" Mary gasped from where she had been healing Drake. Running forward, she swung her hammer, but Garland blocked it with his sword without even turning, then punched her in the gut. Gasping, the white mage fell back, and Garland whirled on her, only to have his sword locked by Drake before he could move.

"Heal him!" The elf told Mary. "We'll hold him off!" She nodded and ran around as Garland growled and broke free. This time, though, the elf did not attempt to overpower him, but jumped and dodged his strikes, then thrust when he saw an opening. Blood spurted from the Chaos Knight's side, but he continued onward until Luke, screaming, launched himself forward again. Garland tried to raise his sword in defense, but once again Drake managed to trap it, and the knight-in-training's blade smashed into the Garland's shoulder. Howling, the Chaos Knight stumbled and fell, and Luke's blade descended, running through cape and armor both to enter his foe's back. Releasing it, he stepped back.

"You… damn you… Light Warriors…" Garland growled, reaching for his sword still with his left hand. Before he reached it, though, the appendage stiffened, and blood gushed from his helmet. "You…" He looked at them all, one after another, and then strangely, his voice changed tone. "Thank… you…" And then his movement ceased, and he was still. After a moment, Drake curiously pried off the helmet. Even Vlad's eyes widened in surprise at what was underneath. The man revealed was ancient; withered and aged beyond what the human body should have been able to stand. There was not a hair on his body or a tooth left in his mouth, and his wrinkled skin had a waxy transparency to it.

"He looked like that, and fought like THAT?" Mary wondered. "This man was something awful, all right…or at least he used to be…" But Luke had ceased to pay attention to Garland; instead, he was moving towards the altar.

"Sara… Sara! Are you okay? Can you hear me? It's Luke!"

"Luke…" The Princess whispered, slowly opening her eyes. "You… came?"

"Of course I did." The knight-in-training assured her, stopping at her side. "I told you I'd always be there for you… you think something like this would make me break that vow?" Slowly, Sara smiled.

"You're… right. Should have known… you'd do it no matter what I told you. You never did listen to me… you blockhead. Thank you."

"Oh, sure, take all the credit." Drake remarked, rolling his eyes. "And the loyal solider gets the pretty girl. Should have figured, what?" Sara looked at the other three now.

"You saved me as well… then you must be the other Light Warriors. Thank you as well… all of you." She sat up, then began to climb off the altar.

"Princess!" Mary looked alarmed. "You shouldn't move around too much-what did he do to you?"

"Not much, actually…" Sara assured her. "Mostly just talking… this place's feeling just got to me after a while, and that seems to have lessened up some now that he's dead. I'll be able to walk."

"That's good… we'll need you for the way out, muscles." Vlad remarked to Luke, healed from his injuries. "This promises to be even more unpleasant than breaking in was… we're not clear yet." But contrary to his words, the assembled monsters were making no move to attack. Quite the opposite; they were hanging back, seeming almost fearful of the four Light Warriors.

"Check it out." Drake murmured. "What do you suppose that's about? They look pretty spooked."

"We killed the pack leader." Luke explained. "We're scarier than he was to them… for now, at least. This kind of thing doesn't last too long. Let's move before they start getting bold again."

"Right." Mary nodded. The four of them took up positions flanking the Princess, and together they walked towards the entrance. The monsters melted out of their path, and they left the ruined Temple Of Fiends behind.


	3. Chapter 2: A Man That Works The Sea

**_Chapter 2: There Ain't No Future For A Man That Works The Sea_**

In the Temple Of Fiends, once more, four clouds of darkness converged, concealing the forms of those terrible beyond belief within them. It was a long time before any of them spoke, but eventually, one ended the silence.

"The Chaos Knight is dead." Tiamat hissed, as she glared at the corpse that still lay on the floor between them all. After a moment, Kraken sighed.

"Stating the obvious… how tedious. Yes, Garland is dead… we knew it would happen eventually. That is the way of things. Every one before him died eventually… we all knew he would do so as well."

"He wasn't so bad, I guess." Kary shrugged. "Strong, in his time, as always… but he was old and weak now. Any of us could have killed him with a moment's thought… this changes nothing in the long one. The next will come eventually, and the cycle will continue." She glanced at the fourth. "Lich, take care of the body."

"Very well." Lich moved forward and lifted the body. This long after its death, the blood had all long since drained out, although not even the most rabid ghoul in the Temple had dared touch it. Carrying it to the altar in the back, Lich placed the armored corpse onto the black orb and arranged it in repose, then stepped back. The orb seemed to almost sigh, and the faintest glimmer of light appeared in it, a glimmer that expanded, then contracted. A similar sigh came from the armor, and the ancient body contained within seemed to melt, collapsing into dust.

"It is done, then." Tiamat stated. "We four are alone once more, until the coming of the next Chaos Knight. However… my concern over Garland's death was not over the matter of the death itself so much as… the manner of it. HOW it occurred. To be specific, who his slayers were."

"Again with the Light Warriors." Kraken growled. "I don't see why you're concerning yourself so with them, Tiamat. So they killed an old man with only a trace of the power he once held… even if he WAS who he was, that proves little. I don't see any reason to get bent out of shape over this. For all we know, it could have been luck… as a matter of fact, I'm willing to bet it was."

"I'm with Kraken on this one." Kary shook her head. "You sound like you want us to do something personally about this, Tiamat… do you KNOW how much effort it would take to reach that far to where they are now?" She shuddered. "I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep for weeks after a disturbance like that."

"You're lazy." Tiamat told her bluntly. "And you're overconfident, Kraken. We shouldn't allow even the slightest possibility of a threat to gain power… that prophecy came from SOMEwhere, after all. We all sensed it when it came, so we know it wasn't just made up. These Light Warriors ARE a threat."

"So then send some underling to do it." Kraken groaned. "Have them wring those idiots' necks and be done with it." He sighed. "But if it'll make you happy, I'll increase the number of Sahagin I send up to the surface. That should make the going on the seas a fatal proposition should those fools try it." He glanced at the fourth Fiend, and a cruel smirk twisted his features. "What about you, Lich? Any comments to make on this matter?"

"Ah… no." Lich replied quickly. "Nothing." Tiamat rolled her eyes in despair.

"Very well… enough of this." Drifting apart, two of the Fiends left the Temple once more, but the other two remained. Once they were gone, Tiamat coughed. "Speak. What do you wish to say?"

"I… think you may be correct." Lich admitted. "I did not wish to speak against them, but… you are the wisest of us all, lady Tiamat. If you wish, I will convey such beliefs to my master… and he may decide to take action." Tiamat nodded.

"That would be… appreciated. Make it so, Lich." Turning, they left as well. After they had departed, the black Orb pulsed again, and the now-empty armor disappeared into it, like sinking into water.

Above it, the bats of the Temple were silent, watching as always but making no noise.

----------------------------

The trip back to Corneria had been uneventful enough; even after they had departed, the monsters of the Temple Of Fiends had apparently been too scared to mount a pursuit. Moreover, word seemed to have spread to even the Imps and maddened beasts beyond the Temple's area; not a single one showed its face while the four Warriors and the Princess made their trek back. As they came in sight of the city, a troop of Cornerian soldiers poured out to meet them.

"Princess Sara… I'm glad to see these brave warriors were successful." The Commander kneeled before her.

"Rise, Sir Leon." Sara instructed him with gravity for only a moment before smirking. "You know I hate the formalities. Stop that right now."

"As you command." Sir Leon stood and smiled as well. "It's good to see you alive, princess… and good to see you didn't die, brother." He grinned at Luke. "Made any impressive kills? I hope you didn't drag these guys down too much."

"I got Garland… not by myself, so I suppose it'd be more accurate to say WE got him… but that's still about as impressive a kill as they come." Luke replied, smirking slightly.

"Ha ha… keep it up and you might be a real knight someday after all." Leon nodded at the other three. "You would be Drake, Mary and Vlad I expect? We didn't get a chance to meet before… I'm this meathead's older brother. He didn't mess things up for you, I hope?"

"He was fairly useful during the escapades." Drake confirmed. "We all have varied skills, but none of the rest of us can quite match him in the mass times acceleration department."

"Couldn't have done it without him." Mary agreed as well. Vlad simply grunted affirmatively.

"Well, good." Leon turned back the Princess. "Your family have already been notified… they're waiting for you. Shall we return to the castle?" Sara winced.

"A couple hours of tedious formalities followed by the biggest chewing out of my life, I'm guessing." She glanced at the other Light Warriors. "I don't suppose I could convince you to get started right away and take me with you?"

"I think they'll be happy just to see you back on one piece." Luke chuckled. "Your mom was so broken up, she locked herself in the royal bedroom… although she actually forgot to lock the door. But still." Despite herself, Sara giggled.

"That's mom, all right. Okay, let's go." Walking through the town, the Light Warriors raised eyebrows as the people of Corneria began cheering wildly.

"Your family's a popular monarchy, I see." Mary noted. Sara nodded.

"Yeah… embarrassing, isn't it?" Drake, however, was grinning like a buffoon and waving.

"Thank you, thank you! All in a day's work for the Light Warriors! That's right, we're the heroes!"

"Idiot." Vlad muttered, but he did so quietly enough that Drake didn't hear. As they approached the castle, two women ran out. One was in her forties, the other slightly younger than Sara. Both wore tiaras.

"Sara… oh, thank the Gods." The older woman, apparently her mother, embraced her. The other one just smiled and wiped her eyes.

"Sister… we told you that you'd get in trouble if you kept sneaking out of the castle like that." Releasing her mother, Sara turned on her.

"Maybe next time Garland'll kidnap YOU if you keep that up, sis."

"What?!" The other Princess' eyes widened. "He's not dead?!" Luke picked up on that immediately.

"Oh, he's dead enough. But then, so were all his servants." The knight-in-training shrugged. "Who knows when he might get back up, sew his head back on and try again-OW!" Luke rubbed his head and glared at his older brother, who had just clonked him one on the noggin.

"That's enough. Let's go see the King." Leon frowned. "I'm surprised he didn't come down here as well…" The Queen smiled and shook her head.

"When he heard the news, he began jumping around so much that he threw out his back. He's upstairs in the throne room." Sara rolled her eyes.

"And this is the family that's in charge of an entire kingdom… all right. Up we go." They followed the same path through the castle as before, and when they entered the throne room, the King was beaming like a sunrise. Sara gravely crossed to the throne, then dropped her formality and hugged him.

"Sara… my princess…" The King whispered, then released her. "Ahem… I see that you were triumphant, Warriors. May I assume that the Chaos Knight is no longer a threat to our kingdom?"

"Unless he can make himself into an undead, which he showed no signs of doing when we left, your majesty." Luke kneeled before him. "How would you command me now, my liege?"

"Rise, Luke." The King commanded him. "You and your comrades have taken your first steps here to an eminence far beyond mine… beyond any mortals. Your journey as the Light Warriors has begun. It is I who must ask you… what shall your next actions be?" Luke stood and turned to the others.

"Well, guys?"

"What are you asking us for? You're the one who fits the role of fearless leader best out of all of us." Drake joked, then sobered up. "Well, seriously… we're a long way from being able to take on the Fiends, but we might want to start moving that way regardless… get stronger as we go, sort of thing. I think it might be a good idea to get back in touch with the guys who got us into this mess."

"You mean the Circle of Sages?" Mary inquired, referring to the twelve old men who had first dreamed the prophecy which had inspired them all. Drake nodded.

"Yup. They convened at Crescent Lake, or so I heard… it might be a good idea to head there."

"Isn't Crescent Lake all the way across the Aldi Sea?" Luke pointed out.

"Well… yeah." The elf admitted, looking slightly sheepish. "It was just a thought… if we had a ship. I don't suppose either of the ones that brought us all here remain?"

"I'm afraid they've already departed." The King shook his head. "And no others remain here… although the land of Pravoka, to the east, may be a different story. Their capital is one of the world's largest seaports, second only to Onrac in the north. Even in these dark times, there are sure to be ships for hire there."

"I think one of those would definitely be preferable to hiking overland around the Sea." Mary noted. "Pravoka to the east, then?" She glanced around at the other three, who all nodded in agreement. After a moment, Luke winced.

"I forgot… that bridge to the north over the Temple River is still down, isn't it? Garland's bunch wrecked it about a week before kidnapping the princess…"

"I've had workmen repairing it." The King informed him. "I'll just ask them to step it up a bit… if they do, it should be finished by tomorrow."

"Will you be departing tomorrow, then?" Sara asked, a strange tone in her voice.

"Yeah… I think we'd better. We've got a long trip ahead of us, after all." Luke replied, sounding reluctant. "We'll rest up today, then head off tomorrow, I guess." The King clapped his hands, and one of the assorted nobles in the throne room stepped forward, bearing a wallet.

"Hopefully, this will aid your journey. I'm afraid it's not as much as I'd like... The royal budget was rather tight this year… but please use it nonetheless. And…" He smiled. "For rescuing my daughter… the bridge that is being reconstructed now shall also be renamed, in your honor… the Bridge of the Light. Your names will be etched in the four corners of it to stand, hopefully, for all eternity."

"Your majesty is too kind." Drake bowed deeply, glancing at Vlad and shaking his head slightly just as the black mage was about to reply scathingly about not needing such things. "We'll allow you some family privacy then… by your leave." The Light Warriors bowed once more, then turned and left. After closing the door, the elf looked sidelong at Luke. "You going to be okay, man?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Luke shrugged. "We're just going to do our job. Or try, anyways. I knew this would be coming someday. I just…"

"Didn't think it would come so soon. We know." Mary placed a hand on his shoulder. "But we have to cope with it… it's all we can do. That, and hope for the best."  
"Yeah." Luke agreed. "All right… shall we head back to the inn, then?" Drake grinned.

"Now you're talking!"

Despite their victory, however, Luke remained in a somewhat subdued state through the evening. None of Drake's jokes or Mary's reassurances could bring a smile to his face for more than a moment.

"Just leave him alone." Vlad advised his sister and the elf quietly after Drake's latest pratfall involving a banana peel and a conveniently placed mug of ale had only brought a light chuckle from the knight-in-training. "Nobody can smile all of the time. Let him have this evening before we go-who is that and what is he doing?" The black mage glared irritably at a young man with blue hair who had approached Luke.

"Excuse me, sir… are you the Light Warriors?"

"That'd be us." Luke turned to him. "Something we can help you with?" The man started to speak, then broke off as the other three joined them, Drake and Vlad looking rather unfriendly at the intrusion.

"Uh… no, never mind, it's…"

"Go ahead." Mary pressed him. "It's okay. What is it?"

"Well, I…" The man looked down. "To be honest… I want to ask you for help. You're the only hope I have. I've tried getting in to see the royal family, but the guards said it'd be weeks before I'd get an audience."

"They have been rather busy lately…" Luke murmured. "Well, what's your story then?"

"I'm from Pravoka." The man blurted out. "To the east… I'm from the capital. To be short… the city's under attack." Drake frowned.

"So? Pravoka has an army, right?"

"A navy, actually… and they're away at sea right now. That's why the enemy attacked… they knew the city was nearly defenseless. Until the navy returns, the city's at their mercy… and who knows how long that will be!"

"Hm… sounds like you've got a problem all right." Luke admitted. "But this is your lucky day… we were planning on going to Pravoka anyways, so we might just be able to take care of your problem for you."

"Thank the gods!" The man looked skyward.

"So who are these enemies?" Drake inquired. "Monsters?"

"No… pirates." The Pravokan man explained. "And not just any crew of scum… it's Bikke the Pirate's crew. He's wanted in practically every country in the entire world."

"I haven't heard of him, but then Gaia isn't much for the ocean." Mary admitted, and Vlad nodded as well. Drake frowned.

"Bikke… I think I've seen some wanted posters with his name on them around back home."

"I've heard of him too… he's got quite the reputation, all right." Luke sighed. "Still, if he's occupying Pravoka, it looks like we'll have to deal with him. We leave tomorrow, bud… we'll see what we can do about the problem."

"Thank you." The man bowed. "I'll leave you alone, then… the Gods bless you all." He retreated, and Drake sighed.

"Another bozo who needs a beat down. Well, at least we learned about it early instead of finding it out the hard way when we got there."

"I'll drink to that." Mary agreed.

"I'll pass… it's getting late. I'm turning in." Vlad decided, departing. Drake sighed.

"Spoilsport… but I suppose he's got a point. We do want to leave bright and early."

"True." Mary glanced at Luke. "Coming?"

"Go ahead… I'll be up later." Luke waved at them. Shrugging, they followed Vlad up, leaving the knight-in-training alone at the bar. After about an hour, he stood and paid his tab, then walked out into the darkened streets, headed towards the castle. A telltale clank from an alley caught his eye, but before the man creeping out of it could make his move, another pulled him back, and there was a frenzied whisper of explanation followed by quick footsteps in the opposite direction. Smirking, Luke continued on his way. The guards at the palace let him in without a word, and he continued along the empty hallways until he emerged on the rooftops. Another was already there, wearing a fresh dress of the same red that she had worn when they had rescued her. She was sitting in a chair, absently strumming a lute without any real tune in mind.

"I was wondering how long it would be before you came…" Princess Sara greeted him without turning around. Luke joined her and looked out over the city below for several moments before replying. This late, the only light visible aside from an occasional window came from the torches on the corners of important streets and the moving flames of night watchmen.

"I was kind of putting it off." The knight-in-training admitted at last. "Not sure why… there was no way I wasn't coming. Just not thinking, I guess."

"I thought we agreed you were going to work on that." Sara smiled before falling silent again. Neither of them were really sure how to start the topic they were both thinking about. Finally, the Princess sighed and spoke again. "So you're leaving tomorrow, going out into the world."

"We knew it would happen eventually… ever since the Orb reacted to me." Luke reminded her. "When was that again…"

"Ten years ago." Sara thought back. "Right after your brother made Captain. And we didn't know it then… didn't really comprehend it. It wasn't until two years later that we figured out we wouldn't be together forever."

"I remember now… it was right before I started my training in the Guard." The fighter nodded. "You were still a crybaby back then… ran off and wouldn't see me again for a week."

"I did NOT." Sara protested. "Half a week, maybe… I thought it meant you were going to abandon me or something. After seven years with you as the only one who'd talk to me like a person instead of a princess… somebody who'd help me sneak out of the castle… who'd teach me to use a sword instead of a knitting needle… who offered to accidentally wreck my tiara if I hated it so much…" Her voice trailed off, as did the lute, as she set it aside.

"And now it's been fifteen years… and the time's come." Luke picked it up, but didn't play it; he simply looked down at it, remembering how often he had heard her fingers on its strings. "More than anything in the world, I want to take you with us on our journey, but…"

"But you can't." Sara shook her head. "Because despite everything we both said, everything we believed… I'm still a princess more than anything else."

"No." Luke denied fervently. "More than anything else… you're Sara. That's all. That's what I believe. And that's who I'll come back to after this is settled. Not a Princess… just Sara. I WILL come back… believe in that."

"You'd better, you… you great clumsy fool." Sara wiped her eyes, then kissed him. After a long moment, they came apart, and Luke smiled again.

"Still a crybaby."

"Shut up." She smiled as well. "Don't die, Luke. Win… and come back to me. The others… the Light Warriors. Do they know?"

"Probably." Luke looked away. "I'm not exactly subtle, as you've told me a lot. But they're good guys… they'll keep quiet about it."

"It is a bit irregular…" Sara admitted. "In all the stories, the princess falls in love with the knight after he saves her from the monster, not before… but maybe that's why they're stories. I wonder what stories they'll tell about you."

"You'll have to listen for them so you can tell me when I come back." Luke chuckled. "Are you okay now?" The Princess nodded.

"Yeah… you?"

"I'll live… but I need to get some sleep before we set out." Luke held the lute out to her, but she shook her head.

"Take it with you… think of me when you see it. And bring it back to me." Luke slowly nodded, realizing there would be no arguing with her on this.

"I will." He turned and started to leave.

"Just remember… you promised." Sara whispered as he departed. "You promised to come back. Don't you dare break that."

----------------------------

"Well, goodbye Corneria." Drake waved at the city as the four Light Warriors walked out of the gates. "It was nice knowing you, but destiny calls and all that." He glanced at Luke, who seemed to have shaken off most of the melancholia that had gripped him the previous evening. "You okay now, big guy?"

"I'll be fine." Luke looked to the north. "Looks like the bridge is up, though I can't see too clearly from here. Sun should be up soon."

"You got back awfully late." Vlad noted. "Are you sure you won't give out today?"

"I'll manage… I can handle it for one night." The knight-in-training grinned at his black mage friend. "You're the one who should be worrying most about it. I don't think you've slept more than three hours a night since you came here that I know about."

"I'm used to it." Vlad shrugged. Behind them, Mary smiled and leaned over to Drake.

"Looks like they're getting along… good."

"Luke's the kind of guy who makes friends easily." Drake noted. "Vlad, though…"

"Is just the opposite." Mary admitted. "Always has been. It looks like he's trying to get to know Luke, though… he only does that when he's genuinely interested in someone. It's a good sign."

"He shouldn't have too much trouble with that." The elf laughed. "Luke's about as complicated as a brick… he's nice and simple to understand. Same with me, I guess… maybe that's why WE hit it off."

"I don't know." Mary gave him a sidelong glance. "I think you're more complicated than you let on. What's the word… sneaky."

"I'm not sure whether to feel complimented or insulted." Drake wondered. "You're not exactly simple yourself, miss Mary."

"Mages rarely are." She shrugged. "Hazard of the profession." She looked at the horizon as the first few touches of light began to peek over its edge. "Here comes the sunrise… and we're about to the bridge. I'd say that's a good sign."

"Hey, Carter." Luke greeted the apparent chief of the workmen who were sprawled near the edifice. "Finished?"

"Yeah… about time. We busted our asses all night to get this thing up for you by now." Carter grumbled. "Still, if anybody deserves it, it's you. Oh, just so you know, when you get back from saving the world and all that the King wants you to model for statues to be put on the corners."

"I'll make sure to accidentally be somewhere else at the appointed time." Drake commented. "Like, say, Gaia. There's respectful, and then there's ostentatious."

"For once I agree with you." Vlad growled. "Well, it looks sturdy enough at any rate."

"Yeah." Luke stepped onto the smooth white stone, looking up as the sun rose into the sky, coloring it with every shade imaginable. "This is it, guys… we're heading off for real now. Any regrets?"

"Plenty, but I can live with them." Drake laughed, glancing over his shoulder. "And if we die horribly, at least we tried, right?"

"I'm sure we'll be fine." Mary glanced over the side of the bridge at the rushing river below. "There's no point in being fatalistic… let's all hope for the best."

"Yeah, yeah… just keep walking." Vlad pulled his hat further down over his eyes. "Our ship isn't going to come to us." After that, they all fell silent, simply listening to the birdsong of the morning and enjoying the play of hues upon the air above as they continued across the bridge that had been named for them. Eventually, though, they reached the other side, and the spell ended.

"So, are there significant differences in the wildlife over here?" Mary inquired of their de facto leader. Luke nodded.

"Yeah. The Imps, wolves and horses are still around, though… and I think Garland had a few traces of his forces hanging out on this side, though I don't know what they'll be up to now that he's dead. More importantly, though, is a nasty critter called an Iguana… looks like some kind of purple lizard-bug hybrid, the size of a horse. We'll have to watch out for those. Venomous snakes, too."

"Asps?" Drake asked grimly, and the knight-in-training nodded. "We've got those in Elfland. What about Ogres and Creep?"

"They're not too common up here, but occasionally there'll be a sighting." Luke admitted. "Hopefully we'll be able to make it to Pravoka without any encounters with those." The elf shook his head.

"Hope so… believe me, you'll see enough of 'em when we get to my turf to last a lifetime. They're thick as flies on a garbage heap down there. Matter of fact, a Creep looks a lot like a garbage heap to be honest."

"If the pictures in the textbooks are at all accurate, you're being kind to them." Mary made a face.

"Proof that even evolution screws the hell up sometimes." Vlad agreed.

Fortunately, their hopes were vindicated on their first few days at least; though they had encounters with the wildlife already accustomed to as well as two tussles with the bizarre Iguanas, the group managed to avoid anything worse. Monster-wise, anyways. It was near sunset of the second day when they emerged from a thick forest to find themselves staring at a solitary mountain on a peninsula, with nothing beyond but the open ocean.

"Well." Luke observed after a few moments of slack jawed silence. "THAT sure isn't Pravoka."

"Amazing deduction." Drake sighed bitterly. "I KNEW we should have gotten a map. Where the heck are we?"

"There's a cave over there." Mary pointed out. "Ogres?"

"Could be…" Drake muttered. "We should stay away just in… case…" He trailed off as someone… or, more accurately, someTHING… emerged from the cave mouth. It was a broom, and it seemed to be moving quite purposefully under its own power, dancing this way and that without a care in the world or any sort of explainable propulsion.

"…It's enchanted." Mary realized. "Got to be." Luke snapped his fingers.

"I know! There's supposed to be a witch named Matoya who lives way up in the north… supposedly south from here along the coast is on a straight line to a tiny desert that's on the border between Corneria and Pravoka. Somehow we kept going north when we should have turned east… and here we are."

"A witch, huh." Drake watched the broom. "Hostile?"

"Just the opposite, actually… she's known to help out travelers who get lost around here. Up until recently, anyways… nobody's seen her for a while now." Luke scratched his head. "Bro was just about ready to send some guys up here to check on her." Drake sighed at that.

"So we're going to be the elf scouts and check in on the nice old lady now?"

"Look at it this way." Mary smiled a bit deviously. "She might let us sleep in there. Saves some tent money."

"Well, when you put it THAT way…" Drake answered with exaggerated sarcasm, then laughed. "Into the witch's den we go, then." As they approached, the broom turned its top towards them, and then somehow, it spoke.

"Emoclew! Srelevart tsol uoy era?"

"Um… what? Slot something?" Luke blinked like he had just been poleaxed.

"It's talking backwards." Vlad explained. "It asked if we were lost travelers."

"Oh. Uh… yes." Luke nodded at the broom a bit uncertainly. "I'm from the Cornerian Guard… these are my friends. We meant to head to Pravoka, but…" He spread his hands helplessly.

"Ni emoc, llew ." The broom moved back into the cave. "Em wollof. Ssertsim eht gnillet si rehtona." With Vlad translating, they followed the broom inside. The cave was surprisingly pleasant and well-lit, a long hall with several doors on both sides. Taking them to one, the broom knocked it open to reveal a large study, shelves crammed with various magical paraphernalia. Sitting behind a round desk and sipping from a mug that appeared to be made out of an Imp's skull was an old woman in a modest purple dress and a red hat much like Vlad's. Her face was surprisingly kind, although her eyes were strange… somehow unfocused.

"Ah… the travelers." She squinted at them, smiling. "Welcome to the home of Matoya. There are… four of you?"

"Ah… yes ma'am." Luke agreed. "My name's Luke… these three are Drake, Mary and Vlad. Nice to meet you."

"You'd be the one from the Guard, then…" She guessed. "Your friends are an elf and two mages, I sense… forgive me for not being able to tell much else. My vision is very bad, I'm afraid." She glanced at the air above Luke's head. "If you return to Corneria, please ask the other guardsmen if anybody's found a crystal ball… I was able to use it focus my powers and enhance my vision, but it's been missing for about three months."

"We're heading to Pravoka, actually, lady Matoya, but we'll check there, and if we do return to Corneria, we'll ask them as well." Drake assured her. "And in any other kingdoms we travel to as well… if we find such a thing, we'll be happy to return it to you." Matoya smiled a bit cynically.

"You're a silver-tongued one, mister Drake… I'd better keep an eye on my possessions while you're here. Still, I'll offer you the hospitality of my cave for the night." Mary smiled warmly.

"Thank you, lady Matoya. If we may ask one more thing… might you have an extra map of the area around that we could borrow?"

"Your words are more heartfelt than clever mister Drake, young lady." Matoya indicated a shelf. "Unfortunately, all I have are magical maps. They won't be much help in showing you the way to Pravoka, I think, but you may feel free to take one anyways… I have plenty." Drake plucked a scroll from the indicated shelf and unrolled it, then blinked.

"Um… pardon me, lady Matoya, but this seems to be blank."

"I already told you, it's magical." The witch reprimanded him. "To bring it up, you have to say the incantation… Tceles Bee Hsup." Drake looked back at the map.

"Oh, there it goes… huh? It's showing Corneria, and our path up here… and Elfland too, down south… but that's it. It looks big enough to be a world map, but most of it's blank."

"Let me see." Luke took it. "Huh! I see Corneria and this place, sure, but where's Elfland?"

"It's right… huh." Drake frowned. "It was there a second ago…"

"Additional enchantments." Vlad grunted, taking it. "At a guess, it can only show places where the holder has been… see, now Gaia's showing up on it." Drake scratched his head.

"I see why you said they wouldn't show the way to Pravoka, madame. Thank you anyways, though… this should still be useful."

"They turn off after an hour." Matoya informed them. "Just say the incantation again to bring the map back up." Luke frowned.

"That might take some doing. Husup is bad enough… I don't even want to try to say teceles."

"You should be able to manage Bee, at least." Drake joked. Mary shook her head.

"Tceles Bee Hsup. Not too bad… me or Vlad can do it at any time."

"How did you do that?" The knight-in-training stared at her as if she had just sprouted gills. Mary smiled a bit ruefully.

"Practice." She admitted. "Magical speech is tricky, but we've been working on it for a long time."

"Enough." Matoya pronounced, seeming to lose interest in them. Picking up a book, she began reading it. "The broom will show you to your rooms." Obediently, the animated cleaning instrument danced out of the room, and after a moment, they followed it.

"Bit curt, but nicer than most witches, I'll bet." Drake shrugged, scanning the map further. "Actually, from what of the coastline is on here, I'll bet I can tell where we made our wrong turn. Problem is, it was an entire day ago."

"Of course." Vlad shrugged. "Be glad it wasn't two."

"Yeah. Well, we should turn in." Luke shrugged as the broom opened a door to a spare bedroom. "I'll take this one, then… night, all."

----------------------------

"Finally… there's Pravoka." Luke noted, catching first sight of the city a week after they had met Matoya. Wiping his sword off on the corpse of the Iguana he had just slain, he glanced at his three friends. "How you guys doing?"

"We're good." Drake raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Remember, we'll have this Bikke guy to deal with there." Luke replied. "Chances are we'll want to get that out of the way as soon as possible… we've got no idea what the city's like with those guys occupying it. Be careful."

"Right." Vlad grunted. "Same drill as usual, then? You two go in front, I'll blast when necessary, and Mary keeps us alive?"

"Go with what works." The knight-in-training shrugged. "Should be less than an hour away… let's get to it." Like Corneria, Pravoka City was surrounded by a protective wall, although it was neither as tall nor as thick as Corneria's. The front of it opened out onto the sea, with a massive, miles-long wharf extending into the bay… and totally unoccupied, save for one large vessel, flying the skull and crossbones. It was an aged, weathered ship but still in good condition; the paint on its side named it the _Amphitrite_.

"Where are all the ships?" Drake wondered. "That one's got to be Bikke's… where are the others?"

"Gone, youngster." An middle-aged man with a blue mohawk was sitting on a dock, idly fishing. "Bikke and his goons made 'em all run, and sank those that wouldn't. Said that it was so he wouldn't collide with any others while at anchor at least one time." He spat into the water, then cocked an eyebrow at them. "If ya already know about Bikke, I gotta wonder why you wanted to come here. Goin' into the city's a bad idea with the pirates running the joint. I'd advise staying away until the navy comes back and removes his fool head for him… the maniac's gone too far this time."

"We're here to take care of that for you, actually." Luke explained. "Another fella from here came to Corneria looking for help. He found it." The man stared, then chuckled.

"Sure, fella… tell me another one. What, are you the advance scouts for the Cornerian Army or something?"

"Army's not coming… no need for them." Drake grinned. "Ever hear of the Light Warriors?" The man started to laugh again, then trailed off.

"You're… really them? Huh…" He shrugged. "Well, heck with it. Nothing to stop you from trying, I guess… last I heard he was in the Viking's Head. Or what's left of it, anyways… it's a bar in the northwest section of town."

"Got it." Mary nodded, taking out her hammer. "Don't worry, sir… we're professionals." The man's eyes widened slightly upon seeing it.

"So I see… good luck."

"Right." Luke turned and led them through the gates, wincing at their condition; something had apparently tore them halfway off, causing them to lean at useless angles. "That'll take some time to fix up…" The city beyond was in surprisingly better condition, although here and there a part of a building was smashed and broken, and there was none of the hustle and bustle that marked most cities at this time of the day; Pravoka's people were staying inside, almost certainly out of fear.

"Right, there's the Viking's Head…" Drake growled as they saw a wrecked tavern sporting the name on a sign over its door. Mary winced at the off-key singing and laughter pouring from the interior.

"I'd think we could have found them even without knowing the name." The Light Warriors walked in to find chaos and disarray. Ten burly ruffians were drinking, gambling, swearing and laughing with each other, unconcerned about the state of the establishment. The apparent leader was a stout, swarthy man with a dense black beard and an eye patch, clad in stained blue silks and tarnished gold jewelry, the image of barbaric splendor. A black captain's hat atop his head completed the image-that and the mug he was draining at the moment. Finishing it, he laughed, long and wild.

"Arrr har har har har! That's the ticket, all right… now, where'd that lobster go…" The pirate glanced blearily around before groping around the floor and coming up with a half-eaten shellfish. "Knew it was around. If I didn't know better I'd think the damn thing was still moving!" He bit off its head and glared at it. "There! How about that then, laddo? Think ya can run off now, huh? HUH?! Aye, s'what I thought!" He threw it to the ground and stomped on it repeatedly.

"That's the way, boss!" Another pirate laughed; like the others aside from Bikke, he was wearing green-dyed leathers and a horned helmet. "Show that oversized bug who's the boss!"

"Who's the boss, that's right!" The Captain grinned. "You boys all know who the boss is, eh?"

"BIKKE THE PIRATE!" The others all howled in unison.

"That's right, har har!" Bikke turned to the cringing bartender, who had been trying to shrink into a corner. "Oy, Larry! Get me another mug of whatever that was, it was better than the usual swill! And another lobster too, for that matter, and don't take too long 'bout it less you want me to get bored and entertain myself with the décor again!" The bartender shivered and glanced at a particularly large hole in the wall.

"Right away, mister Bikke, sir!" He scrambled off, and Bikke sighed theatrically.

"No guts, any of 'em. Landlubbers 'er all the same. Wish a few'd put up a decent fight once in a while…"

"If it's a fight you want, we're the ones you're looking for." Luke announced loudly. Instantly, all eyes in the room turned to them.

"Hey hey, who're you?" One cutthroat sneered. "Three weird guys… and a gal!" He whistled. "Pretty fine looking one at that… you here to show us a good time, sweetheart?" The others all snickered and hooted.

"Depends on what your idea of a good time is." Mary replied coolly, displaying her hammer. "I've heard some guys are into pain."

"Ho! You're a cold one, lass!" Bikke grinned approvingly. "So you want to brawl, huh? You don't look like natives…" His eye narrowed. "I can't place you and the kid in the straw hat, missie… but your mateys look to be from Elfland and Corneria. What're you doing here?"

"Call it a good deed." Luke shrugged. "It's what we do… we're called the Light Warriors. Ring any bells?"

"Not a one, har har!" Bikke replied cheerfully. "Not that it matters… we're up for a fight any time. What're the terms then, or is it just to the death?"

"That's always so boring, don't you think?" Drake smirked, leaning against the bar. "How about this… if we win, those of you who are still kicking clear out of this city nice and easy… and without your ship. It's the _Amphitrite_, right? We need one, and it looks like yours is the only one around, so we're gonna have to ask you to put it up." The pirates began muttering angrily at this, but their Captain just laughed again.

"Fair enough, boyos!" He agreed once he was done. "But then… if WE win…" His eyes narrowed, and his grin widened. "Yer all ours for slave labor… especially you, lassy. We'll have all KINDS of uses for you…" Vlad began to chant, but Mary held a hand up.

"Stick to the plan, bro… I've heard worse. Your terms are acceptable, Mister Bikke… ten versus four, then?"

"Nah, I'm more in the mood for watching right now, to be honest…" The Captain admitted. "I've had too much to drink. You boys think you're up to it?"

"We'll take care of this, Captain." One of the other Pirates grinned, all of them drawing cutlasses. Bikke nodded.

"Right then! On the mark… Arrrr! Get 'em, mates!" Howling, the Pirates charged. Luke and Drake prepared to meet them, then blinked as Vlad stepped between them, chanting.

"This is worth a shot…" The Black Mage released a green haze from his hands that spread over the Pirates. Three of them reacted fast enough to avoid it, but the rest were caught, breathing it in.

"Poison?" Drake asked sharply, but Vlad shook his head.

"No… sleeping gas-GAH!" The three remaining Pirates had rushed the three men, and the one in the center had scored across Vlad's chest. Grunting, the Black Mage fell back, pulling his dagger, and the Pirate just grinned.

"What do you think yer gonna do with that frogsticker-" His voice cut off as Mary's hammer slammed into the top of his head, smashing it into the floor. Luke had dispatched his with equal ease, parrying a few blows before locking the man's blade like Garland had done to him. This time, though, he immediately followed with a punch to the face that left the Pirate on the floor. Drake, seeing this, immediately followed suit with his own opponent, then glanced at the six remaining, who were all sleeping soundly yet remaining upright on their feet.

"We should disable them, I guess… whoa!" He yelped as one of them began to stir. "They're waking up!"

"Excuse me for not being perfect yet." Vlad growled, setting the Pirate on fire as his sister healed his wound. Yelling, the man ran out, but the heat and noise had awakened three more.

"Let us take these!" Drake yelled at Mary. "That was a good shot, but these guys aren't bad, so don't risk it again, kay?"

"Watch out!" The White Mage yelled in reply. Drake snorted as the enemy's cutlass scraped his arm.

"I have GOT to stop doing that…" He stabbed the man in the hand, then knocked him out to silence his howls. Luke grunted irritably as the other two opened up cuts across his torso.

"Got to hurry this up before the others come to…" He stepped back, and one of the Pirates advanced, swinging wildly. It wasn't long before Luke saw an opening, and he drew back again before releasing a massive upward slash that more than returned his wound as well as knocking the Pirate back onto his companion. A kick in the head once he was down did for him as well, and the knight-in-training turned to the remaining two. Before he and Drake could advance, Vlad and Mary were there, striking with hammer and dagger-hilt between the eyes, making the sleep's duration much longer.

"Even we can usually manage to hit sleeping guys." Mary joked, and Drake chuckled.

"Well put!" He turned to Bikke. "Well, Captain… or, as of our wager, should I say ex-Captain? What do you think?" Bikke shook his head; he had watched the fight in silence.

"I'll say this for ya, you sure know what yer doing… all of ya." He stood, grinning dangerously again, a strange light in his eye. "My boys were no match for ya, that much is certain… I guess I'll have to handle this myself after all…" He slowly drew his own sword and held it low. "Know what they say about wanting something done right…" All four Light Warriors stood around him, waiting for his move. Finally, he raised the blade… then sighed and chucked it aside. "Ahhh, hell with it. Okay, ya got me. I can't take ya all together… shoulda joined in from the start. Looks like you've won today, whoever you are. We'll get outta town, then… and…" He winced. "And me ship is yers. I KNEW I'd had too much to drink… if I agreed to that bet, I deserve to retire. Looks like me seafaring days are at an end."

"Luck of the draw." Drake replied sympathetically before turning to his friends. "Well, well, looks like things have worked out after all. We saved the day again, and got a ship of our own to boot!"

"Wonderful." Luke agreed. "One thing, though… do you know how to sail a ship like that?"

"Uh… no?" Drake's grin faded. "I… kinda thought you did."

"We're an army in Corneria, not a navy." The fighter reminded him. "I couldn't work a canoe, let alone a big ship like that. If you put me in charge of that thing the only place we're going is down."

"Well, uh… damn." Drake glanced at the mages. "Any chance-"

"We come from a mountain town." Vlad interrupted him. "Do you REALLY want to demonstrate your lack of intelligence even more by asking that?"

"A simple 'no' would have worked." The elf muttered. "Well, hell. So much for my clever plan… we're stuck here until the navy comes back after all."

"Wait, wait, wait." Bikke spoke up again, flipping up his patch to reveal a perfectly normal eye that stared at them. "Let me get this straight. You came here… and beat the crap out of my boys… all for a ship… that none of you can even USE?" Luke stammered, then gave in.

"That… pretty much seems to be it, yeah." Bikke stared at them for a moment longer before dissolving into hysterical laughter, actually falling off his stool. After several minutes of this, he climbed back up, still chuckling weakly.

"You guys are a riot, har har! That's the funniest thing I've heard in twenty years on the high seas! Who did ya say ya were again?"

"We're the Light Warriors." Mary repeated.

"Names, lass! Names!" The pirate urged. Drake shrugged.

"I'm Drake. Fearless leader is Luke. Those two are Mary and Vlad… try and guess which is which."

"So yer the boss…" Bikke turned to Luke. "Well then, today's yer lucky day, mister Luke… or should I say, Captain!" With a flourish, he swept his hat off and plonked it onto the startled fighter's head. "I like you folks entirely too much, so yer purchase of a ship comes complete with crew, me lucky buckos! I was getting bored of the pirate game anyways, and what good's a ship ye can't use, eh? Helmsman Bikke, at yer service! Don't worry, we won't be no more bother, ya got me word on that!" He began rousing his crew with kicks and curses. "Oy, you louts! Get up and salute yer new Captain and Mates! We're good guys now, law-abiding and all that shite… at least I think we are." He turned to the Light Warriors again. "Ya ARE good guys, right?"

"Yeah, more or less." Drake shrugged, adapting easily. "We're out to kill the Fiends. Doubt we'll actually do it, but hey, gotta try?" Bikke whistled.

"Ya don't say… you've got nerve, all right." He laughed again. "I'm gonna enjoy this, mateys! I never owed that bastard Kraken or any of the rest nothing no how anyways! Where are we headed and when do we leave?" Luke thought for a moment, scratching his head.

"Crescent Lake… and tomorrow morning, I guess. Might as well rest here today."

"You got it!" Bikke turned to regard the bartender, who had just returned. "Oy, Larry! These four brave buckos have just run us out of town! We're leavin' tomorrow and the city's saved… now aren't ya grateful? Get yer heroes some of the good stuff, ah?" The bartender nodded frantically and scurried off again.

"Are we seriously going to do this?" Vlad muttered to Luke. "Do I really need to tell you how untrustworthy these louts are?"

"It's either this or wait for more ships to come back, and that could be months for all we know." Luke whispered back. "Don't worry… I'm not THAT stupid. We'll all sleep on deck, and always keep a watch… just like for monsters. If they try something, we'll be ready for it."

"Good." The Black Mage nodded. "Mary knows how to check our food and drink for anything they might slip in it, so we should be able to make this work as long as we all stay on our guards."

"Right." Luke sighed, watching Bikke dance around. "Well, at least it won't be boring."


	4. Chapter 3: Living With Eyes Closed

**_Chapter 3: Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed_**

In a ruined castle, far in the wilderness, creatures of darkness held court. Once, they had been elves, but their bodies were foul and twisted, distorted by the evil magic they had fallen prey to. The worst of them all, the one called King, sat upon a grandiose throne and leered down at them, basking in the glory of their adoration. His enjoyment was broken as a cloud of darkness appeared in the air near the throne room's ceiling, coalescing out of nothingness before drifting down to his level. One of the stupider monsters charged to attack it; a moment later, he was blown back as blades of wind tore the flesh from his bones and propelled it into the far wall with a wet splat.

"You may want to consider upping the intelligence level required for entering your service, Astos." The darkness advised. "They will not be much use to you like that, after all." The one on the throne winced at her words as well as the mess.

"Quite the opposite, really… that'll be a pain to clean up." He straightened up. "Forgive mine rude gentry, Lady Tiamat… I shall take great pains in educating them to avoid a reoccurrence of such unpleasant behavior." Something in the darkness twitched that might almost have been an amused smirk at Astos' grandiose manner of speech.

"Well, that is why they're not in charge, I suppose…"

"Indeed." Astos agreed. "It would be quite… boring… if everybody was on the same intellectual level as our kind, eh, Lady Tiamat?" He glanced around at the few remaining Dark Elves and snorted. "What are you lot still doing here? Leave, already… the Fiend of Air and I have… business to discuss." They scrambled away quickly.

"Indeed… even among my company, Kary in particular seems to be somewhat dense… and Kraken has been failing to impress me lately as well." Tiamat murmured, watching the Dark Elves scatter. "I hope that fool was not necessary for anything?" Astos waved a hand dismissively.

"Nothing at all… I can't even remember his name, though I think the smell will remain with me for some time now." He sighed and slouched on his throne now that all his subjects had left him. "Enough small talk, milady… I don't believe you're the sort to drop by and visit just on a whim. Is there a way I may be of service to you?"

"Indeed there is." Tiamat paused before continuing on. "Are you aware of what transpired a little under two weeks ago?"

"Two weeks…" Astos thought back. "I seem to remember feeling some sort of disturbance around that time, though I'm not sure what it was. Would that be what you refer to?"

"It would have to be." The Fiend of Air hissed. "The Chaos Knight is dead." It took a moment for Astos to understand the significance of those words. Slowly, his hands began to shake.

"Garland… was killed?" He whispered. "How… could Garland die? He… he's HIM!"

"His power had waned." Tiamat explained. "It has been centuries since he was in his prime. It would have happened sooner or later. More important is the CAUSE of his death… it was carried out by four very specific individuals. It seems the Light Warriors have finally come."

"They're real?" Astos gasped. "You mean… those old fools were RIGHT? That prophecy… all of it… is real?" Tiamat rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it's real." She confirmed, forcing herself not to add an insult onto the end of that. "THEY are real. And they killed Garland. And yet… even with his weakened power, they were barely able to manage that. They are all young… and nowhere near their full potential. I would prefer it if they were disposed of before they become anywhere near that. Unfortunately, they are not close enough to any of us for us to be able to deal with them personally… even our power is limited by range. At the moment, Kary and Kraken seem unconcerned with this matter… and you already know of Lich's difficulties-" She broke off as the entire castle around them suddenly began shaking tumultuously, rocked by mighty tremors that ripped through the ground it rested on. After about a minute, it subsided, leaving the ancient castle surprisingly intact considering the rotting condition of it. "Well now… it seems despite that, Lich has decided to do something about this."

"That was the Fiend of Earth, then?" Astos inquired, slightly pale, and Tiamat nodded.

"Indeed it was. I'm not quite sure WHAT it was he did, but it was definitely him. And there's only one thing that he'd be moving THAT much force around for. I doubt it was a direct assault, but whatever it was, it should make their journey more troubling. And that, Sir Astos, is what I came here to discuss with you today." Astos' black eyes widened as he realized her point.

"You wish… for me to deal with the Light Warriors, Lady Tiamat?"

"That is exactly what I wish, Astos." She confirmed.

"But…" Astos looked around himself in confusion. "But I couldn't… leave here. My subject are here… my castle… my kingdom. All of that…it's here. I couldn't leave that… couldn't leave my crown…" He trailed off, muttering to himself. "My crown… mine… it's mine… my right, my birthright, my crown… I am the king…" Tiamat's cloud of darkness expanded in anger, then relaxed as she reminded herself that this dolt was still useful to her, even if he was like this.

"I never said you had to, Astos." She told him patiently once his attention was back on her again. "However, there is a good chance the Light Warriors may be coming into your… territory. If they come to Elfland, I assume that you can arrange to make their stay… difficult? Especially considering one of their number is one of those you hate the most?" Slowly, horribly, Astos smiled.

"If they come here… I can make sure they regret it. Especially that one… an elf, you say. One of the 'Good' Elves." The deranged creature made a rude noise. "Yes, if they come to me…I shall greatly enjoy what will come to pass as a result of that. It shall be as you wish, Lady Tiamat."

"Just make sure they don't leave… I don't care how long it takes or how painful you make it, just as long as it's permanent." She admonished him, then gave in and smiled, showing the utter disdain for all life that filled her. "With that in mind, feel free to enjoy yourself."

"Oh, I will." Astos caught the smile and what it meant, but was not disturbed in the slightest. "I may not be someone… someTHING… quite like your number, milady… but I still love to hear them scream."

"If I can hear it from where I am, I may just find myself indebted to you, Astos." The Fiend of Air suggested. "I'll be watching." And then she faded away, and the air was calm and quiet once more until the wind returned, howling through the holes in the forgotten castle.

----------------------------

"Arrgh… yer up already? And lookin' right cheerful too… ain't right." Bikke grumbled as he and his crew met the Light Warriors out in front of the Viking's Head. The pirates had ended up drinking so much that they had passed out in the tavern. After discussing it, the Light Warriors had gone to stay in an inn; by that time, the story had gone around town about what they had done and the grateful innkeeper had let them stay for a reduced price. Now that the sun was rising, they had returned to find Bikke and his crew slowly staggering up. The former Captain absently filched one last jar of ale, stretched, and stumbled out onto the street. "All right… Crescent Lake, ya said?"

"That's the place." Luke nodded, still not really accustomed to the boisterous Bikke. "You know how to get there, of course?"

"I'd bet my boat on it if I hadn't lost it already!" Bikke promised, leading the way down to the dock. "It'll take a while, but we can still get there months ahead of the overland route! First we'll have to head through the Aldi Straits to get out into the ocean proper… after that we'll just head around to the southeast. I've done it plenty of times." He winked at a passing man, who blanched. "Lovely city ya got here, matey! I'll have to come back sometime now that I'm reformed and all that!" He glanced at Luke. "About that… ya do know that I got a price on me head through mosta the world, right?"

"I heard something about that, yeah." Luke shrugged. "If it comes up, just say you're working for us. Far as I know, just about every monarchy around is cooperating on this."

"Good to know." Bikke nodded, then looked up at his ship as they approached it. "Ah, me lovely _Amphitrite_… she's an old sea cow, but still a good one. She'll take ya anywhere ya want to go, don't worry. AHOY! Smite, you drunk off your arse or what? Get down here!"

"Only when you order me to be, Captain." A huge, bald man in black leather jumped over the side and landed effortlessly. He looked to be almost seven feet tall, bulging with muscles, and wearing an eye patch just like Bikke, though a scar through it hinted that his was genuine. He looked the Light Warriors over and frowned. "Who're these blokes, Captain?"

"Helmsman, actually, Smite." Bikke corrected him. "Got myself demoted, I'm afraid… fellas, this here is Mr. Smite, former First Mate under me." Now Smite was grimacing.

"Something I should know about… helmsman?"

"Aheh…" Bikke chuckled nervously. "I kinda… well… bet the ship that these four couldn't whup our nine boyos." He indicated the pirates behind him. "Ya can probably tell who won that fight… and the bet." Smite sighed.

"I TOLD you that you'd gamble yourself into trouble one day, Bikke… what am I going to do with you…" He glanced at the others. "Well, if he's helmsman now, I guess I'm the bosun. Mr. Smite, at your service. I take it you're the Captain now?" He asked of Luke, who shrugged.

"These three seem to insist on calling me their leader, so I suppose so." Luke agreed. "Which one of you wants to be First Mate?" Mary and Vlad both glanced at Drake, who sighed.

"That'd be me, I guess. So are you two Second and Third Mate then or what?" Bikke and Smite both winced at that last one, which Mary caught.

"Er… unless you already have a ship's medic, maybe I should handle that." Bikke nodded quickly.

"We've never had a medic before, whatever that is… so sure! And you can be Second Mate if ya don't want somethin' else, straw hat!"

"Whatever." Vlad began to climb a rope onto the ship.

"We're headin' to Crescent Lake, Smite." Bikke explained as the others followed him up. "These four yahoos are callin' themselves the Light Warriors… say they're takin' on the Fiends. I figure it's just crazy enough to try!" Smite looked at them with something that might almost have been approval.

"You picked the right crew then, mates… I'm the only one on this entire ship with even an ounce of good sense, and even I love a good fight. One time I had to talk Bikke here out of taking on a hurricane."

"I still say I woulda won." Bikke grumbled as he took his place at the wheel. "Explain the deal to those that weren't there, Smite."

"Right." The huge man went below decks.

"Raise the anchor!" Bikke yelled as his pirates complied. "Get that sail movin', we're headin' to Crescent Lake! Let's go, me hearties!" He winked at the Light Warriors. "Feel free to take yer time gettin' used to sea life, maties… just don't lose yer weapons. The high seas are dangerous, doncha know… it'll be nice to have tough fellas like you on hand for the fightin', lemme tell ya!"

"Right." Luke nodded. "We'll be ready." Mary and Drake began exploring the ship, curious, while Vlad simply slouched against the mast, watching Bikke. The first fight came around midday; without warning, a swarm of screeching, blue-scaled humanoids burst out of the ocean, led by a red one.

"Arr, Sahagin!" Bikke bellowed, dropping the wheel and drawing his cutlasses. "Let's get 'em, mates!"

"Right!" Luke sliced one in half, then turned to another while Bikke himself engaged the red leader. Drake grappled with a pair, while Mary dashed at another, swinging her hammer. Shrieking, the Sahag jumped aside, then slashed at her with vicious claws. She stumbled back, and it advanced, only to meet a much larger hammer that sent its mangled remains flying overboard. Checking it, Smite looked down at her.

"You okay?"

"I'll live." Mary healed herself, wincing.

"Sahagin's greatest skill are their agility… be glad we're not fighting them in the water." The bald man grunted, smashing another, then suddenly freezing before toppling over.

"He's stunned!" Mary realized. "What…"

"A BigEye!" One pirate yelled. "Somebody get it, quick!" Some strange, tentacled beast that seemed to consist mostly of two huge, bulging eyeballs was crawling out of the sea onto the ship's deck. As it was about to pull itself up entirely, blue magic coalesced about it, and the water covering the beast froze, pulling it down into the depths.

"Got it." Vlad smirked, turning to watch Bikke. Finishing their last opponents, the others did as well. The Red Sahag was a great deal both stronger and more agile than the others, jumping and flipping and striking like a ninja… but Bikke was even faster. Despite his unsteady balance, every move he made was deliberate and perfectly aimed, deflecting every attempt his foe made to injure him and replying with vicious strikes of his own. Finally, seeing that all the other Sahagin had been disposed of, he spun around, backflipped clear over his enemy and sliced its head off, then spin-kicked it overboard in the same motion. Catching the head on his sword, he bowed flamboyantly.

"You know, suddenly I'm awful glad he didn't join in back in the tavern." Luke muttered. Drake nodded emphatically.

"Definitely. We MIGHT have been able to take him between the four of us, but…"

"Bikke's a tough customer, all right." Smite agreed, recovering from his stunning. "Though you fellas aren't bad at all either… and you look like you've been in the business for a lot less time than us old sea dogs." He glanced at Mary. "I hope you don't mind if I give you a little instruction with that, though, missy… a hammer doesn't have to be ALL brute force." Mary smiled.

"I'd appreciate it, Mr. Smite."

"Are those things common around here?" Drake inquired, cleaning scales and blood off of his sword.

"Oh, yeah… they're all over the place." Bikke spat on the deck. "The worst of the lot live down at the bottom of the sea… those red ones. A few of those come up here to lead the guppies. They're more of a nuisance than a real threat, although the pets they keep sometimes are another story… like that Big Eye you took out, straw hat, or sometimes sharks."

"Adventure on the high seas seems to be a fairly hazardous profession." Drake noted dryly.

"Fun, though." Bikke winked. "All right you swabbies, party's over. Back to work!"

----------------------------

It was nighttime, almost a week aboard ship later. Bikke and his crew had raised no argument when Luke had explained that they all liked to sleep under the stars, and surprisingly, there hadn't been any "accidental" disturbances of their sleep quarters either. Moreover, there had been no issues with the food either; for some reason, the cutthroats were being true to their former Captain's word. Bikke himself and Smite had both remained amiable as well, and the voyage had been almost pleasant, broken only by the fights that came several times a day-the most unpleasant realization had been that the sharks kept by the Sahagin had been trained to actually leap out of the water over the entire ship. Still, they had all survived so far, and according to Bikke would reach the Aldi Strait the next days.

"Hm… looks like no trouble tonight." Luke noted as he looked over the side of the rail. It was his night to take some time at the watch while Vlad caught his few needed hours of sleep, and while on the ship he assisted the pirates' night watchman in looking out for Sahagin as well. "Wonder how long Vlad'll be sleeping tonight… seems like it's almost been three hours…" He glanced down at the slumbering Black Mage. The young fighter was completely unprepared for what happened next; eyes snapping open, Vlad jerked to his feet, screaming.

"AAAUGH! STOP, STOP IT! PLEASE, STOP!" Running forward, he hurled himself over the rail as Drake and Mary bolted upright as well, roused by his screams. Luke leaned over, staring.

"Vlad, what're you doing?!"

"I'M ON FIRE!" The Black Mage yelled back, frenzied. Luke blinked; there was no trace of even the slightest bit of flames on his friend's robes as he thrashed around in the waves.

"No, you're not!" Drake echoed his thoughts aloud. "You were dreaming, man! It's okay!" Slowly, Vlad's strokes became more certain, and he paddled over to a rope, climbing it up.

"Ahoy, matey." The pirate on watch had been attracted by the noise as well. "You okay? Hell of a time ta go swimmin'."

"I'm fine." Vlad muttered as he clambered on board again, sounding almost embarrassed. "It was just a bad dream, like Drake said."

"Must have been." Mary agreed, eyes sympathetic. "You're okay now, though?"

"It's been going on for eighteen years… if nothing else, I'm used to it." The Black Mage informed her curtly. The watch-pirate shrugged.

"Whatever, mate… just try and keep it down, yah? Good thing the others are all below… Mr. Smite gets irritable if he's woken up early."

"You can get some sleep now, Luke…" Vlad informed him. "I won't be going back to that tonight." Luke started to ask another question, then gave in and laid down again.

"Yeah, okay." After a moment Drake and Mary followed suit. Several hours later, they rose again to find Vlad sitting on the ship's prow, looking out through the morning fog.

"You're awake, I see." He said without turning. "And yes, I'm still fine, so don't ask. We may have a problem, though… hopefully Bikke will be up soon so I can ask him about it."

"Ask me about what, mate?" Bikke asked as he stumbled out onto the deck, scratching his beard. Mr. Smite followed him, yawning. "Somethin' up?"

"You could say that." Vlad agreed. "The only way to take a ship out of the Aldi Sea is through the Strait, right?"

"Yeah." Smite nodded. "The rest of the sea's landlocked except for the rivers around Crescent Lake, and those are far too small to take this old sea cow through. What's the problem?"

"That." Vlad pointed ahead of them as the fog cleared. Squinting, they could see the outline of the straits ahead of them… and then they saw the problem. A massive uprising of stone that had come out of the ocean, completely blocking the strait. Bikke walked forward, standing on the ship's rail, staring at it. He flipped his eye patch up. His jaw worked silently. Finally, he snapped.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS _THAT_ SUPPOSED TO BE?!" The pirate bellowed before flinging himself at it in fury. Swimming over to the barricade with surprising speed, he lunged at it with both swords, hacking and slashing wildly. "Outta my way, ya stupid piece of shite! Out, dammit! Arrrgh! This just ain't freakin' right-shark! There's a shark here! Come 'ere, you! Grarrr! What? Ya got a buddy too? Bring it on!" One bloody fight later, Bikke emerged with the fishes' heads. Giving up on the barricade, he swam back to ship and came back aboard. "Well, hell. Looks like we got a change of plans, mates."

"We noticed." Drake deadpanned. "How the heck do we get around that? Any ideas?"

"There's a Dwarf cavern near here." Mr. Smite answered, still glaring at the wall. "We can go there, and hopefully get some answers in regard to this."

"We stop by there sometimes when passin' through here anyways to pick up supplies." Bikke scratched himself absentmindedly. "And we've actually managed to refrain from knockin' it over even once, so they won't be greetin' us with loaded catapults or anythin'."

"That would be nice." Drake chuckled. "Having your sails set on fire is just never a good way to start the day, no matter how you look at it."

"An' it slops tar on your decks, too." Bikke agreed sagely. "Right, the harbor's only a bit aways." He peered down into the waters. "Might as well pull up the rest of those sharks for breakfast, Smite." After eating, they docked at the harbor, and continued on into the nearby mountain cavern.

"Dwarves, huh…" Luke looked around the inside of the huge underground domain. "Haven't met many of them before." The earthen people were one of the three civilized species that still remained in contact with the others, but were easily less common than humans or elves. They seemed to have no real kingdoms or territories that they stuck too; small communities of the dwarven could be found in caverns the world over. The pirates knew their way around, so the Light Warriors followed along as they headed down the sloping path along the cavern wall to the floor, where bearded dwarves in hard hats prepared for their daily mining.

"We get a few passing through Elfland now and then." Drake shrugged, wincing at a particularly unsafe-looking structural design. "I don't know how these guys do this… I keep feeling like the ceiling's gonna fall in at any moment."

"It may not seem like it, but dwarves are architectural masters." Mary assured him. "There are a few caverns like this around Gaia, so we met our fair share of them growing up."  
"Hoy, Smith!" Mr. Smite yelled at a passing dwarf in greeting. "What the hell's up with that mess in the straits, eh?"

"Oh, ye saw that, didja?" The addressed dwarf turned, scowling. "Ya, that's a right slagheap. Ye'll want to see Nerrick; he's down at the south end workin' on that right now."

"Right, right." Bikke nodded and continued on, threading his way through the lanes and turns with the practiced ease of one who had been through the area many times. Eventually, they came up against the southern wall of the cavern, where a long tunnel extended unnaturally into a dead-end. There, they found a burly dwarf whose hair and beard had both dulled to white with age swearing rather creatively. As they approached, he turned to glare at them.

"I'm busy here, ye-oh, it's ye two. And some new friends, aye?" He squinted at the Light Warriors. "Ye don't look like the type to be pirates… bet there's a story behind that, eh?"

"There sure is." Luke admitted.

"Maybe we'll tell it to ya over some ale later on." Bikke continued. "First things first, though; I hear ya can tell us about that garbage blockin' the Strait?"

"Yeh…" Nerrick's eyes darkened. "About a week back, this huge earthquake comes tearing through here, and when we go out to check that thing had popped up. The quake came from the direction of Melmond, so some of the boyos are callin' Lich… and even I've gotta say it don't look natural. 'Course if it was there's still the question of WHY Lich went an' did it…"

"I've got a few ideas." Bikke muttered, suddenly dead serious as he looked at the Light Warriors. "Question, fellas… do they know yer coming?"

"Could be." Luke answered honestly. "The whole thing's pretty well-known, so it wouldn't surprise me… especially since right before we met you, we took out a punk who was rumored to work for them."

"Hmph… well, we can't do anything about that, I guess." Mr. Smite reasoned. "The important thing is how we can fix this problem. Until that thing's gone, we're not leaving the Aldi Sea." At that, Nerrick shook himself out of the stare he had been locked in ever since Bikke had asked his question.

"That must be some story…" He mused. "Anyways, I'm workin' on that right now. It looks bad, though… workin' undersea is the worst. The best we'll be able to do at getting it out is half a year."

"We can't wait that long." Luke decided firmly. "We'll have to find some other way."

"Unless you got high explosives, like TNT or something, that's the only way the Strait's getting clear." Nerrick replied just as firmly. Mary sighed.

"And nobody's known how to make TNT for hundreds of years, so we're out of luck there…" Her voice dropped off as she saw the look on Luke's face. "What is it?"

"TNT…" The fighter tapped a finger against his jaw. "That's Lefeinish, right?" Mary and Vlad exchanged glanced before the latter nodded.

"Correct." A lost civilization, the Lefeinish were an incredibly advanced people who had lived in the Northeast-until the coming of Tiamat, who they had been foolish enough to challenge and had been eradicated for. "Why?"

"Because there's an old room in the castle back at Corneria with some Lefeinish treasures in it, and I think I recall hearing that one of 'em might be some TNT." Luke explained. "Only problem is, the room was locked by ANOTHER treasure. The Mystic Key."

"That's MY royal family's thing." Drake remembered. "Couple centuries back, right when the Fiends gained total control, the king at the time went around and hid stashes like that all over, using the Key to lock 'em up. It's enchanted so that nothing else can get in there… real powerful magic. I hear the King still has it."

"So if we go to Elfland, get this Key… and use it to open the vault in Corneria… we can get this TNT and use it to clear the way." Mary reasoned it all out.

"Sounds like the straight of it, lassie." Nerrick agreed.

"All righty then, to Elfland we go." Bikke nodded decisively. "Tomorrow, if it's all right by ye, boss? Ye don't mind if we take one day to socialize with some ol' pals, right?" Luke smiled tolerantly.

"Fine by me… guys?" The other Light Warriors nodded as well. "All righty, as long as you show us around."

"Deal!" Bikke cackled. "First things first… this way to the pubs!"

----------------------------

"All right, now HERE, we've got to be careful." Bikke explained as he steered his ship into a harbor on the coast of Elfland. "Dwarves are one thing, but the Elven monarchy's had quite a few reasons to relieve me of me head for some years now, and they're the types that don't let go of old grudges as the years pass. Nothing personal, lad." He inclined his head towards Drake.

"No problem." Drake leaned against the rail. "Out of curiosity, what would those warrants be for?"

"Oh, the usual… piracy of course, a little robbery, standard assault and battery, assorted murders, some extortion, a few incidental arsons, bit of highway robbery on the way back one night, extensive smuggling-plus a count of cattle rustling one time we forgot to pick up rations-a dash of burglary a couple times we got bored, and as a finishin' touch, bein' drunk in the presence of the royal family." Bikke rattled off absently. "Oh yeah, and I think technically one count of accidental barratry too."

"Your people actually made a formal law against being drunk in the royal family's presence?" Mary asked Drake, smirking a bit.

"Oh yeah, definitely." The elf waved that off. "What I'm wondering is HOW you were in the royal family's presence."

"It was a technicality… some third cousin or somethin'." Bikke explained as he walked over to the anchor and kicked it overboard. "Speakin' of that incident, wouldja happen to know if pukin' on the royal family is a separate offense, or izzat filed under the drunk one?"

"Um… I think that's the same law." Drake winced. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"Naw, he was yellin' too much to be dead." The pirate reasoned. "All right, you know how to get to the capital from here, mate? You four can go on ahead, then… wouldn't be a good idea for me an' the boys to stroll right in there, so we'll just hang out here until ya finish yer business and come back. The harbormaster's another story… he's kind of an old friend of mine if I happen to have a few coins on hand, which I do. Think ya can pick up some of the port they got there while yer at it?"

"I'll make sure to grab some." Luke promised, jumping overboard. As his friends joined him, he turned to Drake. "So, you're the native expert now. What do we need to look out for?"

"Well, we got the nasty wolves here too… asps and giant spiders too." The elf explained. "Mostly, though, the main thing to watch out for are Ogres and Creep. This is where most of 'em live. We'll almost certainly run into some on our way to the capital… it's a one-day walk from here."

"Great." Luke sighed. "Well, more heads to turn in for bounty payments. Cash increase is always good, I guess."

"That's assuming we can figure out what part of a Creep is the head." Drake cracked, then sobered. "One addition to the wildlife analysis-to the west there's a festering pit called the Marsh Cave. I don't know WHAT the hell is wrong with the place, but the monsters in there are seriously bad news. Everybody in the country gives that place a wide berth, so whatever we do let's make sure to do that as well."

"Well, we're only here to get the Mystic Key from the royal family, so we won't be going anywhere near that." Mary reminded him, and he visibly relaxed.

"True, true… just wanted to get that out."

"So what happens if we come back here and find that our new friends have sailed off without us?" Vlad wondered.

"We commandeer the next ship that comes by… it should only be a few days." Drake shrugged. "I think there's at least a fair chance that Bikke will play it straight, though… he didn't try anything dirty while we were at sea."

"Perhaps the Fiends will all commit suicide too." Vlad muttered. "It's about as likely."

"Still more likely than you cheering up." Drake shot back. "Right, if you smell anything really bad, prepare for battle. Let's go." Ignoring further mumbled insults from Vlad, he led the way into the dense forest ahead. Unlike the terrain of Corneria, Elfland was solidly covered with trees, trees and more trees; the woods loomed around them all day until they reached the capital, and it was evident that they extended even further beyond the clearing around the city. As Drake had predicted, Ogres and Creep made themselves known several times. The latter could only be described as festering piles of flesh, but the Ogres were much worse; eight-foot, pink-skinned humanoids wearing primitive furs and swinging wooden clubs. Only Luke's strength and Vlad's magic could pose any threat at all, and both were exhausted when they reached Elfland.

"Right, should we get a room at the inn first, or stop by at the castle?" Luke puffed. Mary looked at him and her brother, who was silently drooping and leaning against a fence, and shook her head.

"We can see the royal family tomorrow… you two need rest. Yes, brother, I know you can't get much anyways, but you need to try. Drake, where's an inn?"

"An inn… a good one…" Drake looked around. "Probably around the… west side of town." He blinked. "Which we're already at. So, uh, right around here."

"You're not sure?" Luke frowned, confused. "Thought this was your hometown."

"Yeah, well…" Drake looked down at the road. "It's, uh… been a while. Yeah. Anyways… here's one called the Silver Owl. I remember it having a good rep." They walked inside, and the elf at the desk squinted at them.

"Travelers from afar… and one native? Hm…" He gave Drake a disapproving look. "I assume you'll want separate rooms, unless the lady…" He left it hanging.

"Separate rooms will be fine." Mary stated firmly.

"Very well." The elf nodded. "100 gold for four rooms, please." They paid up and went to the taproom, ordering dinner and the usual drinks.

"He didn't seem to recognize you." Mary noted as their portions of deer were delivered. Drake shrugged, carving into his.

"Most of the people here tend not to take too much interest in affairs outside their own lives. If you ask them on the street, they'd all say they support the Light Warriors fully, but they'd never know we ARE them. Cultural flaw, I guess… not much we can do about it unless you want to whip out the Orbs and parade around holding them above our heads."

"Entertaining as that sounds, I think we'll pass." Luke chuckled. "So we'll hit the palace tomorrow… then the shops, I guess. I picked up a short sword while in Pravoka, but it never hurts to see what else is available."

"Elven magic too." Vlad agreed, eyes lighting up slightly.

"Yeah, well, just remember what I said about the prices." Drake reminded them. "Chances are we'll have to go track down some more Ogres if we want to go on a real shopping spree."

"Hopefully we'll at least be able to afford some things to make killing them slightly easier for us." Mary winced. "The ones we met on the way here wore us out."

"Yeah, but now we know how to deal with them." Luke bragged. "Round 2'll be a different story."

"This from the guy who's nearly falling out of his chair." Drake kidded him. "Let's turn in early tonight, eh?"

"I agree." Mary nodded. "You two need your rest."

"If you insist." Luke stood. "We'll leave you two alone, then… just don't take TOO long before coming up, or we might start to get ideas." Grinning, he left, and Vlad stood as well, eyes narrowed.

"Don't try anything." He advised Drake before departing as well. Drake and Mary glanced at each other, then simultaneously shook their heads and laughed.

"Does he always get like that?" Drake asked after they had control of themselves again. "With you and other guys, I mean?"

"This is the first time I've seen it." Mary admitted. "Although he seems to have taken a dislike to you, unfortunately… it's probably just an extension of that combined with Luke's joke that's put him on edge."

"I hope so… this is going to be a very long journey if he's spending more time watching me than the enemies. Or, alternatively, a very short one." The elf reasoned, and Mary smiled again.

"You always have a joke ready, don't you?"

"I try." Drake sighed. "One of the first things I learned… it's hard to laugh and cry at the same time. Some levity can always help a bad situation… even if only a little. And sometimes you've got to take every bit you can get."

"You sound like you had a lot of those growing up…" Mary noted, smile disappearing. "But this looks like a beautiful city… even nicer than Corneria or Gaia's capitals. Even so, you're uncomfortable here… I can tell. Something's wrong. What is it?"

"…Heh." Closing his eyes, Drake chuckled, lightly and without humor. "You're very observant, my friend. But… I'm sorry, but I really don't want to talk about it… it's nothing important, anyways. We're not going to be here for long, so why dredge up ancient history?"

"All right… I won't pry." The White Mage gave in. "I wish you'd tell me about it, but… it's your call." She stood up. "We should probably turn in as well."

"Yeah… big day tomorrow." Drake agreed. The two of them walked upstairs and parted without another word, the silence hanging between them like a wall, and closed their doors, leaving what had passed between them behind.

----------------------------

"The Light Warriors, you say?" The elven guard looked at the four heroes suspiciously. "Well, you DO match the descriptions from the reports… you have the Orbs, of course?"

"Of course." Drake pulled his out, and after a moment the others did as well. "Can't get much more identifying than this, bucko. Now then, how about showing us to the royal family, hm? We've got business with them." The guard's face darkened, and for a moment it seemed he would respond hotly, but instead he turned and stalked off. The Light Warriors followed him into the Castle of Elf, an even older edifice than Corneria's keep. Unlike the human castle, it was not built for warlike purposes; this castle was more ceremonial, built for appearances, and thus the designers had sacrificed defense for beauty. Instead of covered halls, the pathways of the castle were often open on one side to the many interior gardens and parks filled with the same trees that covered the entire kingdom, growing majestically along with the castle as if they were a part of it. Eventually, the guard brought them to a room in the southwest corner, where an elderly elf with a trim beard was sitting behind a desk.

"Chancellor Gilian, the Light Warriors wish to speak with the royal family." The guard explained.

"The Light Warriors…" The apparent chancellor looked them over. "Hmph. Return to your post… I will deal with this." Nodding, the guard departed.

"Um… nothing personal, sir, but this isn't really the kind of thing that can be dealt with offhand." Luke told the old elf diplomatically. "We REALLY need to see the royal family."

"I'm afraid that would be quite impossible, sir… Luke, correct?" Gilian pursed his lips. "There is a problem… one that so far has been kept to this castle. Due to your rather… unique… status, however, I think I will have to accept your word of secrecy on this matter… it relates directly to your request."

"If it is necessary…" Mary sighed. "I swear it." The other three followed suit, and Gilian nodded.

"Very well. As sir Drake doubtless knows…" He inclined his head stiffly towards the younger elf. "For the past several years, the royal family have not appeared in public. As a matter of fact, nobody at all has seen them save for myself… so far, we have been able to keep the kingdom running despite this. There is a reason for this method… it is in the throne room, behind this chamber." Standing, he unlocked a door in the rear of the room and led them into the throne room. Though it would normally be illuminated by massive windows, all were draped in dark curtains now. The room's only inhabitant sat on the throne, eyes closed. It was an elf who looked to be slightly older than the four Light Warriors, clad in deep green robes. Gilian bowed before him before looking back to them. "Behold… the Prince of Elfland."

"Magic here… something foul." Mary detected, and Vlad nodded in agreement.

"It's a sleep spell… but far, far more powerful and complex than any I could pull off. What happened here?"

"And where's the king?" Drake asked as well, eyes narrowing. "I don't like the feel of this… not one bit."

"Indeed you should not." Gilian took a deep breath, eyes in the past. "Five years ago, the Dark Elves attacked this castle. Led by their leader, Astos, they assaulted us with the intention of killing the royal family and placing their chieftain on the throne."

"Dark Elves?" Luke inquired, glancing at Drake.

"Traitors… elves who have gone over to the black arts. Not as in offensive magic like you, Vlad… evil so twisted it mutates their bodies." Drake shuddered. "They're even more dangerous than the Ogres… supposedly, most of them lurk in the forests to the west, around the Marsh Cave. Not TOO near, though… about the only thing good that can be said about that place is that it's even more toxic to Dark Elves than normal people. The gases in there are fatal to whatever it is they've become." He flushed suddenly. "Sorry, Chancellor… didn't mean to interrupt. Please continue."

"Yes, well…" Gilian coughed. "As I was saying… the common people are led to believe that the royal family was injured heavily and have spent the past few years recovering in solitude. The court healers and, indeed, all others who work in the castle, have kept the truth secret. In reality, Astos' attack was far more successful. The prince you stand before now is all that remains of the royal family. The rest were all slain… including the King."

"No way…" Drake whispered, awestruck. "The king is dead? All the family… and this was five years ago? Nobody knew…"

"That was exactly what we wanted." The chancellor informed him somberly. "When we finally ran Astos and his filthy minions off, we discovered the Prince like this, and the rest of his family dead. For some reason, Astos cast this spell upon him instead of killing him like the rest. This state of order is necessary until the Prince awakens and can be made King of Elfland… but alas, he has slept for five years and shows no signs of awakening."

"Then… there's nobody who can tell us where the Mystic Key is?" Luke slowly realized.

"The Mystic Key… no." Gilian confirmed. "The Prince doubtless knows, but he cannot speak… I assume that is the object of your visit?"

"Yeah…" Drake admitted. "But it looks like that's not going to work."

"Now hold on there a moment." Luke disagreed. "It's still not impossible… we'll just have to wake the Prince up. This Astos guy… he's still around, right? And we know where the Dark Elves are. So all we have to do is find him."

"And make him talk." Vlad agreed, the ghost of an unpleasant smile barely visible beneath his eyes. Drake started to protest, then stopped, his eyes narrowed.

"That DOES seem to be our line of work… I guess it'd still be the fastest way."  
"If you could do this… rid the kingdom of Astos, and revive our Prince… the entire kingdom would be in your debt." Gilian promised.

"I suppose he can't be worse than the Fiends." Mary reasoned. "To the west, you said?"

"Yup." Drake nodded. "Looks like we're headed out there… although we should probably go check on Bikke and give him a heads-up, let him know what we're doing and all that. We'll want to go north too anyways… straight west from here would put us far too near the Marsh Cave for my liking."

"Is it THAT bad?" Mary asked, and both elves shuddered.

"Young master Drake is very right in wishing to avoid it." Gilian assured her. "That foul pit is the stuff of nightmares."

"Like I said, even Dark Elves won't go near it… THAT says it all, I think." Drake followed up. "Right, we should probably get going before it gets any later… we'll want to go shopping before we head back." Nodding to the chancellor, they departed.

Later that day, they left the capital city the same way they had entered, wallets groaning in unison. Luke in particular was muttering half-intelligible curses, an outraged look on his face.

"Four thousand gold for a silver sword. Four freakin' thousand freakin' GOLD for a freakin' silver freakin' sword." Freakin' was not exactly the word he used.

"We put a high value on silver here." Drake shrugged. "We'll still want to save up and get one for you before we head out… silver's an inferior metal, I know, but it's more than made up for by how effective it is against creatures of evil, and that definitely includes Dark Elves."

"Between that and the prices on magic we might be killing Ogres for a while." Mary sighed. "Me and Vlad could only afford to learn one new spell each."

"Good ones, though." The Black Mage admitted.

"Well, it's not like there's a shortage of them." Drake shrugged. "We'll manage… we always do." He frowned over at the gate guards, who were paying them no attention and seemed distracted by their own discussions. "Wait… what was that? Hey, you! What were you saying?" The guards slowly turned and sneered at him.

"I don't see how it's your business, but if you must know, we were discussing the troop of soldiers that just went north to capture a wanted criminal sighted there." The Light Warriors jumped.

"What was his name?" Mary asked urgently. The guards blinked, confused for a moment before answering.

"Uh… Bikke the Pirate."

"Damn." Luke whirled. "I think we'd better pick up the pace this time, guys." They made it back to the harbor faster than their last trip and in better condition, and that was a good thing; when they emerged from the forest, a full battalion of elven troops were surrounding the docks. The _Amphitrite_ was a good distance away from shore, but Bikke could be clearly seen on the prow, yelling insults.

"-with a senile Sea Troll for chaperone!" He finished, and the apparent commander of the elves raised his arm.

"Bowmen-"

"Hold it right there!" Luke yelled. "Just what do you think you're doing?" The elven commander turned to regard him coolly.

"Apprehending a wanted criminal. The charges are-"

"We already know them, thanks." Drake interrupted, glaring at the commander. "For the moment, however, this criminal happens to be in our service. You can return to the capital; we have been handling him, and will continue to do so." A glint of recognition flashed in the commander's eyes as he looked at Drake, and his expression of contempt shifted to a frigid smile.

"I don't recall ever taking orders from YOU before, boy… why should I start now?" Drake glared back and produced his Orb.

"See this? This thing right here? It's the Orb of Earth. And it's MINE, which means I am one of the Light Warriors. And that, in turn, means that I am one of the four people who have been entrusted with the saving of the entire world. I would say that means quite a bit."

"I serve the elven monarchy." The commander persisted stubbornly. "The Light Warriors have no authority over me, especially not one like you!" Drake inhaled sharply, but before he could respond, three other forms stood around him.

"The elven monarchy supports us." Luke informed him. "They are respecting our positions… as their servant, you must naturally follow suit."

"Captain Bikke has ALSO supported us… as a matter of fact, he has sworn his loyalty to us directly." Mary continued. "Thus, he falls under the same jurisdiction as us… our own. Do not interfere."

"Unless you want to test just who and what we are yourself." Vlad concluded ominously, lightning dancing at his fingers. The commander glared at them for several seconds more before turning around.

"Fall in, troops… we're returning to Elfland and seeking orders on this situation from Chancellor Gilian." The soldiers followed him without comment. Once they were gone, Bikke pulled his ship back in and waited for them to board.

"Thanks, mateys." The pirate gruffly greeted them. "Thought things were turnin' nasty there… looks like we owe ya one fer runnin' that crew off."

"Hey, we're pals, right?" Drake shrugged it off. "S'what happens. What we do for each other. It's only natural."

"Yeh, I guess." Bikke agreed, still looking thoughtful.

"So, did you get the Key?" Mr. Smite asked, changing the subject. Luke shook his head.

"Afraid not… we'll be around here for a while longer. We figured we should check in and let you know."

"Whatever ya gotta do." Bikke shrugged. "We'll be here when yer ready to go. I'll go tell the cook to fry up supper for four more, then." He stomped off below decks with Mr. Smite in tow, and Drake smirked at Vlad.

"Somehow, I doubt we'll have to worry about him leaving us from now on."

"Maybe." The Black Mage grunted. "Don't get any ideas, by the way… I still hate you. I just didn't want you getting killed by somebody THAT pathetic." He wandered off to lean over the rail, and Drake shook his head.

"Whatever, man."

"You're learning his language, I see." Mary noted, and the elf smiled a little wider.

"Yeah… imagine that. Few more weeks and the four of us might actually resemble a team, huh?"

"We'd better." Luke agreed. "We've got a lot ahead of us."


	5. Chapter 4: Play Up Your Breakdown

**_Chapter 4: It's So Easy To Play Up Your Breakdown_**

"Report." The twisted, monstrous thing that had once been an elf snapped at another, equally foul, that kneeled before the throne. "Have they been sighted?"

"Yes, your majesty." The Dark Elf hissed. "They came on a pirate ship two days ago… they traveled to the capital, then returned the following day. There was an altercation with the royal guard, but they managed to intimidate the guardsmen into retreating."

"Figures." Astos, King of the Dark Elves, snorted. "Brains never were a qualification for the guard. So they were back on that ship when last sighted. Were they leaving?"

"No, your highness." The servant denied. "They remained anchored-" His report was cut off by a scream of agony as his King lashed him with a whip of lightning, face calm and expressionless.

"It's 'your majesty,' dolt." Astos explained over his minion's howling. "The correct term of address is 'your majesty,' not 'your highness.' Say it." Another lightning bolt extended from his other hand, and his face contorted into an insane scowl. "SAY IT!"

"Your… majesty!" The tortured dark elf shrieked. "Please forgive me!"

"Of course." Smiling calmly once again, Astos cut off the magic, and the Dark Elf fell over, smoking. "You've corrected the mistake… I shall forgive you. This time. Do it again, however… and I'll use Rub instead." Losing interest, he waved the back of his hand at his servant. "You may leave me now." Whimpering pathetically, the dark elf limped out of the throne room, and Astos fell to brooding. "Hm… if they haven't left, that means they plan to stay in this land… doubtless they've reached an accommodation with that idiot chancellor. If they don't have whatever they want here already, they'll be searching for it now… what could it be that interests them here?"

"I'm so glad you asked that, friend." Another voice laughed as a black cloud congealed before the throne. "If you'd like, I could tell you." Astos jumped, surprised, then narrowed his eyes.

"Oh… it's you." He sighed disgustedly. "Lose the dark, will you? It's not necessary with me."

"I suppose not… sorry. The other three insist on it… I guess I've grown used to it." The figure in the darkness apologized as the black mists concealing it thinned and disappeared, revealing a pale, red-haired man in a heavy blue cloak. The whites of his eyes were blood red with black pupils, and when he grinned at the Dark Elf King, elongated fangs were revealed. "Well, Astos? Want to know what they're doing here?" Astos twitched at the informal use of his name, but held in his displeasure.

"Of course I do… Lich." He said the Vampire's name in a mocking tone. "Tiamat did not know when she came to call, though… and now you do?"

"My master heard it." The Vampire explained offhandedly. "They made the mistake of discussing it amongst themselves when deep underground… my master hears every whisper the rocks make. The Light Warriors are troubled by the barrier my master placed in their path, and they seek a solution… and for it, they need the Mystic Key."

"I should have known." Astos groaned, slumping down in his throne. "I always hated that stupid Key… family secret, pah. So they want to know where it is… with the royal family in the shape it's in, there's only one way for them to find out. Awaken the Prince."

"Oh, I don't know." The Vampire chuckled. "They could be planning to come and ask you."

"Hilarious." Astos rolled his eyes. "I don't think so. No, they'll be coming for me for a very different reason… I'd bet my throne that they plan to get the cure for the Prince's sleeping spell out of me. That's their only reasonable course of action."

"I see." The Vampire frowned. "So there is a cure, then?"

"Yes, but don't worry." The Dark Elf King grinned unpleasantly. "Even if they somehow figure it out themselves, I've already taken action to neutralize it." The Vampire grinned back, equally hideous.

"You ARE a sly one. Then they truly have no choice but to come to you… will you be prepared? Garland did lose to them…"

"Garland was old and past his prime, as Tiamat herself said." Astos snorted. "I'll be ready, don't worry… as a matter of fact, I may just be able to use them for myself before I kill them."

"Do whatever you want, just make sure to get the job done." The Vampire instructed. "I'll be off, then… my master doesn't like it when I leave him for too long. Good luck to you… or should I say, ill luck to them. It's all the same in the end, I suppose…" Reforming the black cloud, he disappeared with it, and Astos was alone with his thoughts again.

"Indeed it is… if I play my cards right. I think I will use them, though… if they're truly desperate to find the cure, then I can finally, finally get what I deserve." Astos closed his eyes, smiling in anticipation. "And for gratitude… I'll make their deaths swift."

----------------------------

"Ogres and Creep, Ogres and Creep… enough already with the Ogres and Creep!" Luke yelled in frustration, removing the head from one of the former. Its partner paused from his assault on Drake to stare stupidly, and the elf darted in, running the brute through the heart.

"Yes! Told you I'd be able to take one down by myself soon!"

"Will wonders never cease." Vlad remarked, stabbing a Creep through what he thought was a vital organ. His guess was right; squealing, the evolutionary train wreck expired.

"That's all of them." Luke looked around and sighed. "I thought this was supposed to be Dark Elf territory… but all we're seeing is-"

"Ogres and Creep, we know." Drake admitted. "I'm guessing the real bad boys are keeping their heads down… we HAVE kind of been going through these things like a natural disaster. Dark Elves are nasty, not stupid. They won't come to us until they figure out what we're here for."

"So we'll have to go to them, or else we'll never get anything done." Luke shook his head disgustedly, then jerked it up in surprise. "Heads up! More coming!" Three more Ogres burst into the glen, roaring and waving their clubs. Two of them looked like normal specimens-big, strong, ugly and dumb-but the third was altered, skin tainted green and face twisted in an expression of vile glee. "What's THAT supposed to be, Drake?" Turning to regard the elf, Luke's eyes widened; Drake was staring at the Green Ogre with pure hatred. Before anybody could stop him, he launched himself between the other two Ogres and jumped at the Green, screaming in rage.

"What the hell, idiot?" Vlad yelled, then shook his head and turned to another Ogre, spitting out the incantation that would cover it in ice. Luke swore as well, intercepting the last Ogre while Mary skirted the conflict, trying to edge around to where Drake was charging without any subtlety or style, hacking at the Green Ogre's chest. Despite his anger, though, he was unable to chop through the monster's rib cage. Grunting, the Green Ogre poked at him almost casually with its heavy stone club, and that simple motion knocked him away. Rolling back to his feet, he slashed again and was repelled, this time smashed into a tree. The Green Ogre advanced, eyes burning, then howled as Mary's hammer smashed into the back of its knee, toppling it. Stepping past it, Mary began healing Drake, who shook his head to clear out the stars.

"What were you thinking?" The White Mage demanded angrily, then froze as a shadow fell over her. Bellowing, the Green Ogre lowered his club down onto her. Before he could raise it again, though, Drake was leaping at his face, and his sabre went through the monster's eye into the brain. Dropping, the elf pulled the stone club off of his friend, wincing at its weight.

"Mary?"

"I'm okay… it was just a glancing hit." The White Mage explained, then started casting healing spells for both of them.

"Glad to see you're both alive." Luke grunted; he and Vlad had both finished off their foes. "Against all logic. What was that about, Drake? You almost got both of you killed with that little stunt."

"I'm sorry." Drake looked away as his wounds healed. "My bad, I know… I lost my head. I just hate those things. Really bad. I know I'm not as good as you… it won't happen again, I promise. Let's go." Standing, he walked away, the others watching him go.

"Idiot." Vlad summed his opinions up. "Next time he does that, don't risk yourself for his sake, sister."

"He said there wouldn't be a next time." Mary shook her head, following. "And I believe that."

"Hey, guys! Come here!" Drake yelled from up ahead, cutting off the argument. "We may have hit jackpot! Check this out!" Luke immediately followed him, and after a moment the Mages went as well.

It was a castle, but it resembled the Temple Of Fiends more than the hearts of Corneria and Elfland; old, battered and decrepit, it squatted in the gloom of the forest, the trees weaving their branches through holes in its surface that spoke of neglect and decay rather than the intentional harmony of the Castle of Elf. The doors gaped open, rusted on their hinges, and as the Light Warriors approached a few bats flew out, squeaking angrily at the intruders in their domain.

"Looks deserted." Luke pronounced. "You think there might be some Dark Elves here?"

"It's worth checking out, isn't it?" Drake shrugged. "First building we've seen in these parts, and a castle to boot… I don't know Astos personally or anything, but from what we have heard of his personality, this would be right up his alley."

"Can't hurt to look, I guess…" Luke agreed. Exploring the Castle, they quickly discovered that it was indeed deserted; hall after hall and room after room, all were empty and devoid of life save for a few more bats.

"It's abandoned, all right…" Mary shuddered. "Gives me the creeps."

"Not totally." Drake disagreed. "Nobody's here NOW, but the dust on the floor has footprints in it… ones that aren't ours. Somebody else comes here often, even if they aren't here now… although we still won't know that for sure until we explore the entire place…" As if to confirm his words, the next room they entered banished the illusion of abandonment. There, seated on a tarnished and aged throne, was an elf in red robes. His hair and mustache were a forest green, but there was no crown on his head, despite his appearance and location.

"Ah… I thought I heard visitors." The lone King greeted them. "Welcome to my home, although I'm afraid it's not exactly in top condition at the moment." Luke frowned, then glanced at Drake.

"Is he…"

"No." Drake shook his head. "Like I said, Dark Elves are changed by the evil they fell to… it's noticeable. Hail, your majesty." He bowed to the King, and after a moment the other Light Warriors did as well.

"Rise, my young friends… I am no longer a King of anything save name." The lone King sighed. "My family's kingdom fell long ago, when the Dark Elves came into the northwest… we were once a separate land of the elven, but for that was destroyed generations ago… but even after that, my family remained in these ruins. Now I am the only one left, and when I pass away, all trace of what we once held will be gone."

"The Dark Elves don't attack you?" Mary inquired, and the King smiled bitterly.

"My family amuses them, I think… they've taunted and harassed me for my entire life, but never actually attempted to kill me… that would spoil their fun. I assume you have come to this part of the world in search of them…" He closed his eyes in thought. "Would it perhaps be related to the Prince of Elfland's malady?" All four Light Warriors jumped at that.

"You're a wise man, your majesty." Drake was the first to recover. "How did you hear of that? We only learned of it recently ourselves."

"Astos." The King spat the name out. "He is the most frequent of my tormentors… on one occasion, he taunted me with knowledge of the royal family to the south." He smiled coldly. "And it seems that foolishness shall cost him… for he also told me of the only place in the world where the cure can be found."

"Heh… I had hoped Astos would be a fool." Vlad chuckled grimly. "Where is it, then?"

"Unfortunately, that is unhappy news." The King admitted. "The spell Astos used was once a royal secret of my own family… and it, as well as the counter spell, are engraved on my family's crown, which was lost many years ago… stolen by a vile order of magicians. The Wizards of Marsh."

"Aw, no." Drake groaned. "Not that… ANYthing but that."

"From your reaction and the name, I'm guessing they're in this Marsh Cave you told us about." Mary grimaced. "Looks like we're in for a hard job…"

"We don't have any choice, though." Luke stated firmly. "We've got to get that cure."

"You don't get it." Drake shuddered. "The Marsh Cave isn't something we can deal with… nobody can."

"Look, I know it'll be bad, but-" Mary started to speak, but Vlad interrupted her.

"You realize you're talking as a member of the group that's going to take out the Fiends." The Black Mage reminded him coolly. "Are you saying this Marsh Cave is worse than THEM?"

"Well, no, but…" Drake fell silent, thinking. "Damn it… okay, if we get the best of everything the capital has… weapons, armor, magic… and if we stock up with a HELL of a lot of Healing Potions… we MIGHT be able to make a smash and grab. Run in there, grab that Crown, and get out."

"Not like the rest of us wanted to buy real estate in there." Luke joked. "It's a plan, then?"

"Every instinct in me cries out against it… but okay." Drake reluctantly agreed. "Thanks, your Majesty… we'll try and bring your crown back to you, then."

"Do, and I'll translate the markings for the counter spell." The King promised. "Good luck."

----------------------------

"The Marsh Cave has been a part of Elfland for as long as we can remember… every generation has known of its existence all too well." Drake explained moodily, staring into the small fire. After returning to the capital and equipping themselves, they had set off to the west; now, camped at the edge of the pestilential swamp that contained the cave, they had set up for the night in a one-night magical cabin that worked on the same principle as the tents. For the night spent this close to the cave, Drake had insisted on the expense, and they were now sitting around the fireplace in the cabin's common room, listening to his stories of their target on the morrow. "The best theory of its existence that I've heard is that ages ago, when my people were careless about magic, they used the cave as a testing ground for new spells… over time, all the magical residue built up, and it began taking a physical form that affected everything around it. Everything in there is mutated horribly… there's a stronger breed of Creep in there called the Crawl, which suggests they originally came from there, and that's just the beginning."

"I knew there was no way those things were a natural evolution." Mary joked, then fell serious. "So, are those the worst things there?"

"Hardly." Drake shook his head. "Like I said, a bunch of the wildlife's mutated… there's undead too, worse than what we saw in the Temple Of Fiends I'll bet. And then there's the Wizards of Marsh."

"I've heard of them." Vlad growled, eyes narrowing. "They have an unsavory reputation… mutated by their magic, although probably in a different way than Dark Elves. Their heads resemble some kind of cephalopod, or so I've heard."

"Yeah… they're both nasty types, but the Dark Elves and the Wizards of Marsh hate each others' guts." Drake agreed. "They tend to thin each others' ranks out a bit whenever they clash. So at least we won't have to worry about Dark Elves in this area. And before you ask, no, there's no known connection to the Fiends here either… it's just a downright nasty place full of downright nasty things."

"And we're heading in there." Luke sighed. "Well, no helping it. We'll just have to endure. We should probably get a good night's sleep tonight… we'll need the rest tomorrow."

The night was only disturbed once by a pair of angry poltergeists; that aside, the Light Warriors slept well and emerged the next day, ready to tackle the Marsh Cave. Following Drake's instructions, they weaved their way through the swamp until they found it-a gaping crater in the earth twenty feet wide, swamp runoff dripping down into its dark expanse. From one side, the ground sloped down harshly, providing their way in. As they walked under the overhang, Luke shuddered at the slime dripping into his hair.

"We're near the coast, right? Tell me we're near the coast."

"Yeah, this is near the south ocean." Drake confirmed. "Couple hours' walk from here. If we make it out of here before nightfall we should be able to set our other Cabin up on the beach and use the ocean water to clean this gunk off of us… we don't want to get ourselves messed up by it. Not that anybody would be able to tell with Vlad."

"Hilarious." The Black Mage commented, glancing ahead of them. "Why don't you use your brain for something useful and tell us which way to go?" The cavern forked in a t-shape to the left and right.

"Uh… I don't know." Drake admitted. "The only ones who have ever been in this place and made it out alive are the Wizards, and they don't exactly give us maps to be nice guys."

"You're useless." Vlad sighed. "Somebody pick one, then."

"Right." Luke shrugged and walked ahead, then paused. "Uh-oh. Company." Two Crawl were advancing, pale and gray colored, and with them was a monstrous green wolf, eyes glowing red and fangs dripping. "I'll take the dog!" Yelling, the fighter engaged it while the other spread out.

"Watch out, its bite is poisonous!" Drake warned him as he and Mary began stabbing and hacking at one Crawl. "And these ones stun, so be careful about them too!"

"These would be the stronger types, then." Vlad noted calmly, freezing the other Crawl then blasting it apart with a lightning bolt.

"Still just as ugly." Mary smashed the Crawl flat, and Drake stabbed it a few more times to make sure as Luke beheaded the wolf. "Did the wolf bite you at all?"

"Nope… got me with its claws a couple times, but that's it." Luke glanced at Drake. "Those aren't poisonous, are they?" The elf shook his head.

"Not as far as I know. Let's keep going… the sooner we get the crown and get out, the better." The Light Warriors moved on, following the cavern. When they reached the end of the path, there was a man-sized hole in the floor with a rope ladder leading down. Climbing down, Luke winced.

"Buncha skeletons down here… poor saps. Yeesh, this one looks fresh… it's covered in blood."

"Look out, man!" Drake yelled, climbing down as well. "They're probably animated!" Indeed, the skeletons were rising, jaws clacking in silent laughter. Most of them were easily mopped up, but the bloody one gave Luke several deep wounds before being shattered. Reaching the bottom of the rope ladder, Mary passed him a healing potion, which he gratefully drank.

"You did good stocking up on these… thanks."

"Don't get careless… there's more." Vlad hopped down and indicated some approaching zombies. "Let's go."

For hours more, the Light Warriors trudged through the Marsh Cave's filth, encountering new terrors around every corner. Humanoid, flickering shadows that blinded their eyes with a touch… horribly strong, four-foot scorpions with massive claws and plated armor… even the slime of the cave itself come to life, immune to physical weapons and only destroyable by Vlad's magic… as they emerged onto the third floor down, all four Light Warriors had taken numerous healing potions in order to survive. Looking around, Drake slowly nodded.

"This floor… looks like it's filled with separate rooms. I'd bet this is where the Wizards of Marsh are headquartered. We've found our goal."

"These Wizards… do they tend to use any specific element?" Mary asked.

"Afraid not… they just stick to concussive magics." The elf shook his head. "Why?"

"If they had, I could have given us some magic of my own that guards against elemental spells… but not that." The White Mage sighed. "Oh well."

"Hey, those'll still come in handy against the Fiends." Drake told her. "Can't get much more elemental than THAT. These guys are pikers compared to THEM… we can take 'em, no sweat." He paused for a moment. "Right, that just leaves the question of which room has the Crown in it…"

"Let's try and be quiet so we don't have to fight any more of them than we have to." Mary suggested, and the others nodded. Moving cautiously, they began looking into one cave after another. The first two were unoccupied, but as they peeked into the third, four bulbous yellow heads turned to stare at them. Their faces dripped tentacles, they wore white robes, and in their hands each of them carried a staff.

"The Wizards of Marsh." Vlad bowed to them coldly. "Some of them, anyways." One of the Wizards glanced over them, then inclined his head to Vlad.

"And you would be from Gaia, I expect… same with the woman. These two, though… common sellswords? Not that it matters…" He raised an eyebrow. "Were you just paying us a visit, magician to magician, or was there something we could… help you with?"

"The Crown!" Luke pointed. "There it is!" Beyond the Wizards, on the head of a stone statue, a golden circlet glittered.

"So, that's what you're here for." The Wizard pointed his staff at them, and the others followed suit. "Well then… that goes beyond courtesy between professionals, I'm afraid. You'll have to fight us for it!" All four barked a word in unison, and blasts of energy flew out of their staffs at the Light Warriors. Vlad replied with an incantation of his own, and a large spread of electricity radiated out from his hands, intercepting and dissolving the attack.

"Was that all you could do?" The Black Mage snorted. "This won't be too much trouble, then…"

"Lightning 2… an impressive spell for your age." The lead Wizard acknowledged. "But how many times can you cast one of that level without exhausting yourself?"

"Hey big shot, there's the rest of us too!" Luke growled, charging at one on the left. The Wizard blocked the sword with his staff and fired into his chest; grunting, Luke swung again. On the right, Drake sliced at another, moving past the staff to inflict light slices from his sabre on the octopus face. Hissing, that Wizard smashed at him with his staff while another fired at him, knocking the elf down. Laughing, the leader turned to fire at Luke. Grunting, the Fighter kept hacking at his enemy; the silver sword he had acquired in Elfland caused the Wizard to scream with each hit, until finally he collapsed, twitching. The leader sneered, unconcerned, and blasted Luke again.

"Bah… no matter! The rest of us will finish you easily-eh?" His eyes widened in horror as he felt the heat rising, and then the remaining three Wizards all burst into flame. Vlad shook his head in contempt, fire pouring from his palms.

"You seem to have forgotten, but in response to the question you asked anyways… three times. And I doubt I'll need the third for this, so I can keep it in reserve for our way back… after we take the Crown."

"You insolent…" The lead Wizard growled, leveling his staff despite his pain and firing. The magic blast caught Vlad in the chest, sending him flying into the wall of the small room, where he slid down in a heap. Growling, he turned back to his allies, only to see them falling to Luke's and Drake's swords. Another blast from his staff sent the elf flying as well, but the Wizard he had been fighting was already dead, as was the third. Luke, battered and bruised, started to advance, but Mary was there first, hammer slamming into the Wizard leader's face and shattering his skull. Dropping it, she rushed to her brother and began healing him.

"Vlad, are you all right?"

"Like a… amateur like that… could kill me." The Black Mage slowly stood, grunting, as the healing spells covered him. "I'm fine… heal the clown. He needs it more than I do."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm okay too, grumpy." Drake stood as well. "Not that I'd object to being healed by Mary or anything." Mary smiled, obligingly healing him as well.

"Well, we did it, anyways." Luke stepped up to the statue and pulled the Crown off of it. Solid gold and surprisingly heavy despite its slender appearance, the Crown was covered in runic markings. "These would be the ones that tell about the spell Astos used… once we get this to that king, he can translate them, and we'll be able to get the Key." He slipped it into his pack. "Right, now all we need to do is get out of here."

"Easier said than done." Drake muttered. "Oh well, at least we know the way now… and you guys still have a few spells in reserve?" The mages both nodded. "All right, let's do it then… remember, once we get out and get to the coast, we can wash this gunk off."

"Now that's motivation." Mary smiled. "Let's go."

----------------------------

"Are you still here, your majesty?" Drake called as the Light Warriors walked into the abandoned castle.

"I'm in here, young man!" The Lone King called back. "Was your search successful?"

"Definitely." Luke grinned as they walked in, producing the Crown. "The Wizards of Marsh are dust in the wind, and we got this back for you. Here you go." He handed it to the King, who snatched out of his hands eagerly.

"Yes… my crown! Finally, I have it… it's been so long…" He placed it on his head, and smiled reverentially. "So, so long…"

"Glad to be of service, your majesty." Mary smiled. "Could you tell us what the cure for the prince's affliction is, then?"

"Oh, yes… I did say I would… well, I might as well keep my promise…" The king looked at them again, a strange light in his eye. "The cure… is a special herb that only experienced witches can grow. At the moment, the only one remaining outside of the far north is one named Matoya, who lives near Corneria."

"Matoya!" Luke jumped. "We've met her… hey, you didn't even look at the crown! How did you know?"

"Let me finish, please." The king's smile grew wider, looking rather unpleasant now. "Unfortunately, Matoya is currently unable to locate the herb among her stock… her eyesight has been stolen from her, since she required a magic crystal to see, and that crystal was stolen several months ago by the caster of the spell… the King of the Dark Elves, Astos…" He began to chuckle, low and dark, as his form began to shift and mutate. His skin became green and reptilian with unhealthy spots, and the very shape of his body warped, changing to a top-heavy torso with weak, withered arms and legs. His hair became a wild mane with strands of red mixed in with the green, and similarly red claws and fangs sprouted… the same red as his eyes, sunk in black and staring insanely at them. "It's right over there, above the door you entered through… not that you'll be doing anything with it, fools."

"A dark elf…" Vlad snarled. "I thought you said he wasn't!"

"Some sort of illusion magic." Drake explained, eyes narrowing. "And there's only one dark elf who could pull that kind of garbage… this must be Astos. We've been played like a piano."

"Correct, elf." Astos grinned, a forked tongue snaking out between his teeth. "King of another elf country… ha! This is the crown of Elfland… for decades, it's been out of my grasp, but now it's finally mine. And it's all thanks to you."

"Why the heck do you care about that?" Luke growled.

"Why? Why? WHY?!" Astos' voice rose to a shriek. "Because it's MINE! The throne, the crown, the KINGDOM! They are MINE by right, not that dozing cretin in the capital!"

"What, you think it works like some kind of right of caste? That by killing the king, you can be the king?" Drake shook his head. "You're pathetic."

"You know nothing, dolt." Astos snarled. "The kingdom is mine because the king was my father. Even if he refused to acknowledge me or my mother, even if she took me away from him into the wilderness and lied to me about my parentage, even if that damned chancellor gave the crown to the Wizards of Marsh so that I could never claim it, I AM the firstborn son of the King! And this crown is MINE! MINE!" He was actually frothing at the mouth now as he screamed. "I AM THE KING!"

"The clown was right." Vlad spat on the floor. "You're pathetic. How long have you sat here in this shambles of a castle and pretended to be something you knew you could never be? Decades. And now you have your little crown, and you think that makes you anything more than… the term is 'bastard', I think."

"Damn you… damn you all!" Astos raised his hands, magic forming in them. "You're all laughing at me… you think you're so big, so much more than I am! Well, I'll show you, all of you! DIE!" A white block of light flew out from his hands towards Vlad, but before it could hit, Mary quickly cast a spell of her own, and the Black Mage shimmered, disappearing.

"That's the Rub spell!" She yelled at the two others. "Whatever you do, don't get hit by it! It's death magic!"

"You recognize it… skilled, aren't we. And that's Invis, isn't it?" Astos leered at her. "But that won't be enough, I'm afraid… try this, then!" He hovered into the air, arms and legs dangling limply along with a whiplike tail. From his clawed hands, however, lightning bolts flew out in large clusters, striking them all. Grunting, Luke and Drake glanced at each other, nodded and ran forward, flanking the Dark Elf King.

"Magic isn't the only thing that counts in this world, mister high and mighty!" Drake yelled, stabbing up at him. Astos hissed as his feet were stabbed, and his hands began emitting clouds of green smoke instead. The two of them were too close to dodge and fell down, snoring, but Mary and Vlad were able to move away.

"Wake them up!" Vlad yelled to his sister. "As for you…" Lightning bolts akin to the ones Astos had just created appeared, returning to the Dark Elf King. Shrieking, Astos fell, then rose into the air again. Charging the spot where the bolts had appeared from, he viciously backhanded Vlad into a stone pillar.

"Got you!"

"And we've got you!" Luke yelled as he and Drake rushed Astos again. Growling, Astos flew up once more.

"If it's a physical fight you want, then I'll oblige… after one more spell, that is…" Chanting, Astos' body became covered with shimmering green light for a moment, and he flew back down. This time, however, even as the swords sliced into him, the Dark Elf King's hands moved faster still, whirling around him like whips. In less than a second, he struck Luke in the face three times, then whirled and kicked him in the same motion, sending the brawny Fighter flying like a toy. "That'll teach you… eh?" His eyes widened as Luke's injuries were healed, and he turned to Mary. "You… you're the type to undo all my hard work! I HATE healers like you… and you did that to your other partner too, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Vlad confirmed as another green glow covered Astos. "You used the Fast spell to up your physical power and speed… nice, but the Slow spell should nullify that."

"Not good enough!" Astos shrieked, lunging at Mary. "I'll start with this one, then-without her, you'll have nothing to save you! Die, wench!" The Rub spell formed again and flew at her, point-blank… but at the last moment, Drake knocked her aside, taking the hit.

"NO!" Mary screamed.

"Get him… guys…" Drake smiled weakly as his skin paled. "You can still… do it without… me. Kill… him." And the elf toppled, eyes rolling back.

"Don't freak out!" Vlad snapped at his sister. "We can get him to a Cleric after we finish this joker… but only if we win!"

"Yes, and that's not happening, I'm afraid!" Astos sneered. "So it was the elf first instead… that matters not! I hate his kind too… and you'll all be joining him soon anyways!"

"I beg to differ, scum…" Mary began muttering incantations, but Astos just laughed.

"Ha! What's that spell supposed to be? Puny white magic, I'll…" His voice cut off, and he clutched his throat, eyes bulging.

"It's the Mute spell, since you asked." Mary answered him, smiling coldly. "I was never able to get it right before… but it looks like this time I managed it. How about that. Boys?"

"Right…" Luke grinned as well, vicious and wild. "No more magic to hide behind, asshole!" Astos held up a hand in a feeble attempt to block, but one swing of the Fighter's silver sword sent the arm flying in a spray of blood. Another hack removed his left arm as well, and when Astos turned to flee, he was met with a massive fireball that blasted him across the room, slamming his shattered body against the back wall. Before he could fall down, Luke's sword flew through the air and slammed into his chest, pinning him above his throne. The Dark Elf King's head lowered, limp, and as blood spewed from his mouth, the crown tumbled and rolled along the ground.

"No…" Astos moaned. "It was mine… my crown, my kingdom… mine, all mine…"

"You had nothing. You ARE nothing." Luke picked up the crown. "Go to hell, and good riddance." Astos tried to respond, but another gout of blood spilled, and with a feeble sigh he died. Stepping onto the throne, Luke retrieved his sword, then turned his back on the limp corpse that fell down, face-first, onto the throne. Crossing over to Drake's body, he picked his friend up. "A Cleric… we need to get him there, and fast. We'll be traveling to Elfland at top speed, then…"

"Yes…" Mary wiped something from her eye. "Why did he do that? Taking that spell… there was no reason for him to do that…"

"He said that himself." Vlad explained as the Invis spell faded and he reappeared. "Out of the four of us, right now he's the weakest… he knew he was the one we could stand to lose the most and maintain the best chance of winning. And it turned out that he was right… that Mute spell turned the tide. Good job managing that one, by the way. I know it always gave you trouble." Mary glared at him.

"How could you say that… I know you and him don't get along, but he was still…"

"I'm not insulting him." Vlad looked at Drake's body, expression hidden as always. "On the contrary… not many people can realize that sort of thing about themselves, and act on it without a moment's hesitation… let alone give up their life for another's. I may have been wrong about him… he just might have potential after all. But that's only if we get him to the Cleric. Let's go." Looking up at the crystal ball affixed above the entrance, he called it down with a spell.

"Right." Luke nodded, and the three Light Warriors walked out of the ruined castle, sparing not a glance for the broken remains of what had once been the Dark Elf King.

----------------------------

When Drake's eyes opened again, they only showed pain for the slightest moment before relaxing, as a weak smile came to his face.

"Hey… guys. I guess this means you did it… knew ya could." Stepping forward, Mary helped him to his feet. "Still a little unsteady… that's to be expected, I guess, considering. Still, important thing is we won."

"You idiot." Mary chided him lightly, smiling as well. "Promise me you'll never do anything as stupid as that again."

"Oh, I'll be glad to promise that." Drake winked. "Of course, I won't actually MEAN it, but I'll say it as many times as you want. I'm tricky like that."

"We noticed." Luke gave him a hearty thump on the back that almost knocked him over, then turned to the Cleric. "Thanks, father… we're glad to have him returned to us again."

"If you killed Astos, it's the least I can do… all of Elfland owes you." The elven Cleric smiled through his heavy white beard. "Besides, I owe young master Drake a certain… debt." Drake froze at that, then turned and looked at the Cleric.

"Father Dell… I didn't recognize where I really was at first." The younger elf muttered. "You don't really owe me anything. I was young and stupid when I said… those things. I know you would have done something if you could."

"Even so, I have always wished I could have done more." The cleric shook his head. "And so I am glad I could give you your life back, at least… and that you have found friends who care for you."

"Yeah… I guess I have, at that." Drake looked at all of them in turn.

"Just TRY not to do it again, at least." Vlad harrumphed. "I know it's a tall order for you, but if we have to galvanize your corpse every week, we'll never get our job done until we're older than the Sages."

"Ha! Fair enough." Drake laughed, long and loud. "Next time you can try it, then. It's not as bad as I thought it'd be!"

"I'll bet." The Black Mage rolled his eyes. "If you're feeling semi-functional again, we had best go north… Bikke will have to take us all the way back to Matoya's."

"Oh man, that's right…" Drake winced. "There and back… that's a while, even at sea."

"At least it's someplace we can access with the ship at all." Luke shrugged. "And aside from the Sahagin and all that, you'll be able to relax and rest up once we're on board."

"When you put it like that, how can I resist?" Drake laughed again. "Lead the way to the luxury Pirate cruise, buddy!"

The trip to the northern harbor was like the one from Astos' keep, which had been like their passage to Corneria after killing Garland; mostly trouble-free. It seemed even Ogres and Creep were capable of realizing it might not be a good idea to tangle with those who had come out of the Marsh Cave in one piece and blown the roof off of a certain castle. There was one incident when a Green Ogre led two of its lesser-colored compatriots at them, bellowing madly, but true to his word Drake had stayed back and let Vlad open with a wave of lightning before Luke finished the green, taking a plain Ogre for himself. And so they returned to the harbor, all in good health.

"Ahoy, mateys!" Bikke called as they climbed aboard. "What's the deal now, eh? Got the Key?"

"Close." Luke admitted. "Problem is, we need to get something from a witch up near Corneria, then come back here."

"What, ya mean Matoya?" Bikke inquired. "Nice old bird… didn't know ya were acquainted."

"We met on our way to see you in Pravoka." Drake explained, choosing not to ask how the grizzled Pirates were familiar with the witch. "So you know how to get to her, then… cool."

"Yar, there's a nice little beach near her place where we can dock, on the north side of Lake Corneria." Bikke stumped over to the wheel. "We'll have to go up the Temple River, but that's okay, it's wide enough and that bridge is high enough for _Amphitrite_ to fit under. Let's set sail, me hearties!"

About a week later, they entered the Temple River, passing by north of Corneria city. Luke stared at it the entire time, then sighed once it was past.

"I still wish we could have stopped by there."

"We'll be coming back there soon enough anyways." Mary reminded him. "We'll be getting the TNT out of the treasury once we have the Key… you can visit Sara when we do that."

"Yeah, I know." Luke shook his head. "It's just… ah well, never mind."

"It happens." Drake nodded sympathetically. "Knowing what you gotta do doesn't make it any easier. You're getting better with that lute, though… you don't sound like a dying mule any more."

"Gee, thanks." Luke rolled his eyes, then looked up at the approaching bridge. "Here it comes… you're sure we can fit under? It looks awfully close…"

"I've been this way before." Bikke nodded sagely. "Unless there's a high tide right now or something… maybe I should have checked." As they reached the bridge, the crow's nest buckled and snapped off against the marble, falling over into the water with the unlucky pirate who had been up there wailing all the way. Bikke glanced up at his now-bare mainmast, face calm. "Yup. Definitely should have checked for a high tide." He remained silent for a few moments longer, then exploded in screaming curses.

"Grab on, Tim!" Mr. Smite yelled to the unfortunate pirate, tossing him a rope. "See if you can rope that around the nest before climbing up… if we can tow it, we can try and fix it back on once we're at anchor!"

"Hey, there's the lake up ahead." Luke pointed out. "It's on the north side, you said?"

"That's the closest to her place." Bikke sighed, looking up at the mast again. "It'll be a bit of a walk, but not too bad. We'll be here when ya get back." After dropping anchor, the Light Warriors went north, following their map to reach the cave. As they entered, the broom greeted them again.

"Olleh! Srelevart tsol-he? Uoy wonk I! Kcab emoclew!"

"Yo." Luke replied. "Can we see Matoya? We've found her crystal." The broom actually jumped.

"Yllaer? Esaelp, yaw siht!" Sweeping quickly, it led them to the same room where they had met Matoya last time. She looked at them quickly as they entered.

"The four young travelers from a month ago… the brooms tell me you have my crystal?"

"That's right, ma'am." Drake pulled it out of his bag and handed it to her. "A jerk named Astos from Elfland said he swiped it from you. He's chunky-style now, by the way."

"Yes, this is it! I can see!" Matoya gleefully held the crystal to her face and looked at them all in turn, smiling widely. "And you dealt with the one responsible… it seems I am in your debt. What can I do for you?"

"Astos also said you would know a cure for the malady of the Prince of Elfland." Mary explained. "He's been under a powerful sleep spell for five years."

"Aha… indeed, I can provide the remedy." Matoya turned to a cluttered chest of drawers and began searching through it. "Elven biology is more complex than human or dwarvish, but I've been able to figure out the differences… here we go." Pulling the stopper out of a black jar, Matoya removed a withered brown leaf. "Steep this herb in warm water, then have him drink it. Don't let any other elves have any, though, or even sniff the fumes. They won't be able to sleep for a week."

"I'll remember that." Drake promised, taking the herb. Matoya nodded, walking back to her seat.

"Very well then… our business is concluded. Will you require my hospitality for another night before you go?"

"We'll just head off, thanks… our ship is near here." Luke shrugged. "Bikke and Smite said to say hi, by the way." Matoya stared at them for a moment, laughed.

"You've hooked up with those two rogues? I'll have to ask Bikke to tell me the story behind that when he's got the leisure… it should be amusing. Good luck on your journeys, then." Waving, the Light Warriors departed and returned to Bikke.

Another week later, they arrived in Elfland once more, and returned to the palace at top speed. The guards immediately showed them to Chancellor Gilian again, who rose from his seat as soon as he saw them.

"My friends, I've heard that you killed Astos! It's been going around the city for days now… is this true?"

"Indeed it is." Luke confirmed. "He duped us at first… sent us into the Marsh Cave to get the Crown of Elfland for him, then tried to off us as thanks. Didn't turn out so well for him, though… and we found out how to wake up the Prince. That's where we've been since."

"Wonderful!" Gilian's eyes lit up as Drake produced the herb. Following Matoya's instructions, they prepared the brew, then slowly administered it to the sleeping prince. At first, there was no reaction, but then his eyelids shot open and he jumped to his feet, gagging.

"That's HORRIBLE, Gilian!" The Prince protested weakly. "What was that… wait, what? What's going on here? Who are these people… what happened?"

"You've been awakened thanks to these brave heroes, my prince. These are the Light Warriors." Gilian explained. The Prince turned to stare at them each in turn, then sat back down, stunned.

"The day of Prophecy has come already? How long have I been asleep? The last thing I remember was instructing Gilian to give the Crown to the Wizards of Marsh to protect it from that maniac who claimed to be my half-brother, then seeing him burst in here…"

"He did. Believe me, he did, your highness." Drake assured him. "We had plenty of trouble getting in there to take it back… and then we went and killed Astos, so he's no longer a threat to your kingdom. Here… I believe this is yours." He offered the Crown to the Prince, who gingerly took it up. "You're the King of Elfland now, your Majesty… let me be the first of your subjects to hail you as such."

"You're an elf too…" The Prince realized. "You and your friends have saved your country… you're a hero. What is your name, and that of your family?" Drake winced, then sighed.

"I'm Drake… just Drake. My family is… was… unnamed." The Prince's eyes widened, and Gilian looked away uncomfortably.

"Huh?" Luke blinked. "What's that-"

"Not now." Mary shook her head, stopping him.

"I see… well, regardless, you are a hero of our kind still, Drake." The Prince nodded. "I would honor you all for months on end, but if it is the time of Prophecy, I assume you have more pressing concerns…" They all nodded. "Very well then… I shall, at the least, complete my purpose. The Mystic Key. Elfland's monarchy has held it in waiting for you for centuries. Now I can finally entrust you with it." Standing on his throne, he reached up to the back and twisted an ornament, pulling it off. From a hidden niche there, he pulled out a slender silver key, and stepping down, he delivered it into Drake's hands. "All of Elfland relies on you now, even more than before. Astos was but a mortal… your true enemies are beyond imagining for any save you. We're counting on you." He and Gilian saluted them, and without a word, the Light Warriors returned the gesture.

That evening, after they had eaten, Drake rather somberly asked the other three to follow him into another part of town… as it turned out, a shabbier one. Without a word, they accompanied their elven friend until he stopped in front of the smashed wreckage of what looked to have been an already pitiful shack.

"I suppose I had to come back here before we left… I've wanted to ever since we came to Elfland again, to be honest." Drake began. "Don't know why I waited this long… some sort of stupid pride, I guess. Didn't want you guys to find out where I came from, for some reason… I know you wouldn't think less of me because of it. Even you, Vlad… you'd get on my case for everything else, sure, but not this. Still… I don't know, sometimes I don't think logically." He chuckled, closing his eyes. "Sorry I'm taking so long to get to the point…"

"It's okay." Luke assured him. "Take as long as you need."

"Right…" Drake gathered himself. "I was born here… last kid out of five. Never knew my old man… pretty soon after I came along he got killed by some bandits while he was out in the woods trying to find something to feed us. As you can see, we were pretty much the bottom of the social system here… mom worked herself to exhaustion trying to keep us all alive. My brothers and sister taught me how to supplement that on the streets through various illegal means, though we never told ma… would have broken her heart to know. That's how I spent my formative years, a sneak thief on the streets." He paused for a few moments before continuing. "Then one night, when I was out looting pockets at a richer part of town, a marauding party of Green Ogres came barging into the edge of town and made a beeline for my house."

"No…" Mary looked at the ruins with a horrified sort of realization. "Your family… did they…"

"Yeah." Drake bit his lip. "By the time the watch got there, it was too late… my whole family was pulverized. They wouldn't let me see them… but not even the Cleric could do anything with what was left. I was on my own… all I could salvage from the ruins was this Orb. Ma hid it, saying it was the only treasure our family had… it was all I had left to remind me of them. Then one day, the guard caught me rifling through a noble's house, and they found the Orb on me. Of course they thought I had stolen it from its rightful owner, but when it turned out it reacted to me and nobody else, they decided that even a sneak thief was better than nothing. Gave me as much training as they could, although obviously it was nothing near your guys', and told me who and what I was… and who my enemy was."

"Enemy?" Vlad inquired.

"Yeah." Drake's voice became angrier. "See, Green Ogre packs that big don't come out here, and they don't just break into the capital and go for random houses for no reason. They had a reason. And the scholars at the castle told me where the Green ones come from… to the west, on the turf of Lich, the Fiend of Earth. And they went right for my family… the way I see it, Lich tried to rub me out, and managed to get everybody I cared about instead. That was what motivated me from then on… I always knew I'd be a pretty poor excuse for a Light Warrior, but I figured maybe, just maybe if the other three were strong enough, and I could at least keep myself alive… I could pay that asshole Lich back someday. And then I went to Corneria… and now I have more people I care about again."

"We care about you too, Drake." Mary placed a hand on his shoulder. "When you… were hit by the Rub spell, I felt like my heart was going to stop. Don't sell yourself short… we need you too. It's going to take all four of us to do this."

"Yeah… and you're right. We'll track down Lich, and we'll make him pay." Luke promised. "Him and the rest of them… we can do this."

"Hmph… well, it's nice to finally have the answers." Vlad admitted. "Now that we know, then… the sooner we get going, the sooner we make Lich scream."

"Heh… fair enough. But wait up one night, okay? It's a little late to set out." Drake smiled. "Let's get back to that inn, huh? And then tomorrow, back to Bikke again, and on with the show!"


	6. Chapter 5: We Will Rock You

**_Chapter 5: We Will Rock You_**

Deep, deep down under the ground, under grass and soil, under worms and moles, below the rocks and rubble of vanished civilizations, beneath anything and everything in the world above, in the darkest hole in the deepest pit of the entire earth… something stirred. Something ancient and foul, something that caused the ground around it to creak and groan in agony with every step it took, and loved that agony more than anything in the world. Tapping its fingers against a wall, it sent a tremor that would collapse a building in a far-off city and crush all inside; kicking a crack in the floor, it created a rockslide in the mountains above that would spell doom for an unlucky gold miner. A quake that dozens fell shrieking into, a rolling boulder that smeared a horse and rider both into a rich red paste, all was done with both an indifferent boredom and a malicious glee simultaneously. This was how the being occupied its time until it felt the significant footsteps on the earth of one it recognized, returning home at last.

"About time he returned…" The being sighed, walking down the length of its home and its prison both, no longer paying attention to the damage done with each impression of its feet upon the ground. Reaching the gate of its prison, it looked out through it to the one lying on its knees, bowing before it even before it arrived, something which amused the being… although the cloud of darkness remaining around the prostate Vampire irritated him. "Remove your aura… it is not necessary here."

"Y-yes…" The Vampire scrambled to dissipate the cloud, then banged his head against the ground. "Forgive me my impertinence… it was not meant, Master Lich."

"I shall… I have grown used to your foolishness by this time." Lich, the Fiend of Earth, sighed through the barrier separating them. "What news do you bring from the others?"

"The Dark Elf King is slain." The Vampire reported. "Astos is dead. It seems the Light Warriors were too much for him."

"Hmph… I was afraid such would be the case." Lich growled, cursing the departed Astos for a weakling. "The fact that even we cannot trace the origin of that Prophecy suggests that it may have some validity… have Kary and Kraken decided to take this seriously, then?"

"Not quite yet…" The Vampire admitted. "They remain unconvinced."

"Damnation." Lich shook his head, then thought for a moment. "What of the remaining Dark Elves, then? What have they done now, after their King's demise?" The Vampire winced.

"There seems to have been a schism in their order. Half of them are journeying to the northwest, to present themselves to Tiamat, on the grounds that she was the one who aided Astos… the other half go to Kraken instead, claiming that a different Fiend as master will change their fortunes." The undead monster sneered, exposing his fangs. "The fools don't see that the same fate awaits them no matter which of you they serve… the same fate of all life, in the end."

"Indeed." Lich was amused again at his own servant's tone. "And yet, YOU do not seem bothered by the concept."

"Master, I am already dead." The Vampire grinned. "My continued existence beyond that serves only one purpose… yours, and to a lesser extent the other Fiends. Me, and the rest of my brethren whom Tiamat created, were born only to carry out your will… we have no illusions about that. And thus, if your wish and will are for the extinction of all life, so are mine."

"Ha… you truly are an excellent puppet." The Fiend of Earth's eyes glowed from behind the barrier. "Very good, servant of mine."

"I die to serve." The Vampire joked, then pressed on. "Speaking of servants… although the Dark Elves have decided not to entreat YOUR mastery, others have. The Wizards of Marsh have held themselves apart from us since their founding, but it seems the Light Warriors killed their four strongest members as well as Astos. After they escaped, the remaining Wizards summoned my attention, and requested to serve me… or should I say, you, although they didn't know the difference… in order to get revenge on our common enemies."

"Hm…" Lich pondered that. "The Wizards of Marsh DO have some power… they may indeed be useful. Very well. Tell them that their request is accepted, and order them to come here immediately, to the Earth Cave. There, they shall enter my service and serve my will."

"And will you offer them the chance to gain your Blessing as well?" The Vampire inquired, his own eyes now glowing.

"I think not." Lich decided. "Not quite yet… they have, as you said, held themselves apart from us for some time. They must prove themselves to me before they earn that chance."

"Understood." The Vampire's eyes continued to glow, despite his disappointment. "But there are others… more Ogres have come." This time, Lich laughed, deep and dark and cruel.

"Ha ha ha ha ha… Ogres are a different story. They have served me well, and any who are brave enough to entreat my Blessing may freely receive it. Show them to me, immediately." Nodding, the Vampire departed and returned shortly, leading six of the muscle-bound brutes.

"I have told you that I am only Lich's puppet." The undead bloodsucker was saying to them. "To receive his Blessing, you must offer yourselves up to Lich himself. " He gestured to the barrier, the square plate in the ground that was so simple and yet so infuriatingly complex. "Here is Lich. Here is the Fiend of Earth." The Ogres squinted down at it, uncomprehending.

"Plate… is Lich?" One of them questioned. After a moment, one of his comrades answered.

"Lich… is UNDER plate." The other five looked impressed at that; it was quite a show of thought for an Ogre.

"Oh… okay."

"Bow to me…" Lich hissed, drawing their attention. "Bow to me, and we shall see if you are deserving of my Blessing." The Ogres bowed, touching their heads to the floor, and Lich reached his hands out, pressing them against the plate. "If you swear to serve me… if you wish to hold my power, the tiniest fragment of my power, the power to rip the world asunder from within… then you shall become the darkness of the earth's core, the malice and hatred of all that lurks in the depths beyond the imaging of others… be both enlightened and accursed beyond all of your kind… be the rot of the earth, the taint of the ground… be part of me, and I part of you… and receive of my Blessing." As he spoke, the Ogres began to change, their pink skin tinting, turning to green. Their limbs twitched spasmodically, and their faces contorted in pain, as six pebbles penetrated the barrier to float over, to embed themselves in their foreheads. Three of the Ogres, weaker than their companions, howled in agony and melted, dissolving into sand, bodies crumbling under the power that had descended upon them. The other three endured, the pain on their faces changing to twisted grins as their skin finished coloring with the green hue. Standing, they picked up the wooden clubs they had brought with them, and the power now inside them changed the weapons to stone.

"Go now, and join the others who have also received Lich's Blessing. Wait for further instructions." The Vampire commanded, and the Green Ogres obeyed immediately. Once they were gone, the Vampire turned to the plate again. "Is their anything else you would ask of me at the moment, master Lich?"

"No… I am pleased." The Fiend of Earth turned away. "You may go feed, puppet. I will call upon you when I need you again." And Lich returned to the depths of the earth, feet bringing untold pain with every step.

----------------------------

"Ahoy, Corneria!" Luke yelled at the gathering Guard from the bow of the _Amphitrite_ as the ship sailed into port. "Don't get excited, it's us!" After a moment, the young Fighter's brother stepped out in front.

"Luke, you moron!" Leon bellowed back, grinning despite himself. "What the hell are you doing with Bikke the Pirate?"

"You want to take that one?" Luke asked Bikke, who had walked up next to him.

"I'm payin' off me debt to society, or whatever!" Bikke hollered. "These fellas kicked me arse, so I'm their ride now!"

"You go to Pravoka looking for a ship that'll take you, and you get pirates. Why am I not surprised." Leon shook his head. "Well, if you say they'll behave, it's good enough for me. Come on in and tell me what the deal is, okay? If we yell for too much longer we'll all be hoarse for the rest of the day!" After Bikke had dropped anchor, the Light Warriors walked out onto the harbor.

"We'll just stay here, I guess." Bikke decided. "The taverns are callin' us, but I don't wanna risk our new-found law-abidingness." Leon nodded approvingly.

"If you'd like, me and some of the boys can come back with some ale after we take these guys to the Castle." He grinned again. "Betcha soldiers can drink more than pirates can."

"Ho! You're on, laddie!" The pirate captain laughed. "Go get your bomb, fellas… we'll be fine."

"Bomb?" Leon raised an eyebrow as they began heading towards the castle. "NOW what are you up to?"

"Oh, the usual." Drake shrugged deprecatingly. "Lich made the first move and collapsed the Aldi Strait. There's a dwarf who says he can blow it open with some TNT, and we hear there's some in the treasury, so we ran down to my hometown and kicked a bunch of ass to get the Mystic Key. That's the short version-we can get to the longer one once we meet a certain lady Luke here's pretty anxious to see again." Luke elbowed him in the ribs, then looked ahead at the castle door.

"Wonder where she is…" He smiled as his question was answered; looking curious, Princess Sara had just walked out into the main hall. As soon as she saw them, she ran forward, beaming.

"Luke! You're back!" Running forward, she stopped herself from embracing him and instead simply took his hand. "I thought it would be longer…"

"Well, you know how it goes." Drake shrugged. "Saving the world's nice, but gotta stay in touch with friends too. Actually, there's something we need here to continue our trip, but it's not like we'd mind coming back here anyways. Luke especially." Leon rolled his eyes.

"Just keep it low-key, you two… we ARE in public."

"Of course." Sara nodded. "Well then… come, friends. Let's go find a sitting room, and you can tell me what you've been up to."

Several hours and one tale of Pirates, Dwarves, Wizards and Dark Elves later, the Light Warriors finished their tale. Princess Sara had enjoyed most of it; laughing at Bikke's antics, growing angry at the moves of Lich and Astos, and turning pale at the mention of Drake's death despite the elf's presence, alive and breathing, right in front of them.

"How horrible… what was it like?" The Princess asked once the story was finished. Drake shook his head.

"I can't remember what happened after the spell hit me… I just couldn't move, and then everything went black, and the next thing I knew I was waking up back in Elfland. I suppose it's probably for the best… we probably really shouldn't know too much about the other side until it's our real time."

"True." Sara conceded. "Well then… why don't we go take a look at that Treasury? I've always been a bit curious about what's in it myself."

"Sounds good." Mary smiled as they all began walking. "The Prince told us later on about all the locations of the treasure caches that were locked up with the Mystic Key… this one in Corneria is the most important, of course, but there are others too… in the Castle of Elf as well as Astos' place. I found this in there." She proudly hefted her new hammer, which was made out of solid silver. Sara winced, then grinned wickedly.

"I'll bet the bad guys really love that."

"Oh, yeah. One dumb Ogre got in our way after she picked that up, and I think she broke a record for distance on flying heads." Drake chuckled. "That the treasury?"

"That's it, all right." Luke stepped up to the ordinary-looking wooden door and pushed the Mystic Key into the lock on it. The entire door began glowing, and then with a startling noise it exploded, filling the inside of the treasury with wooden splinters. Fortunately, none of it flew at the heroes or the Princess, who simply stared at the doorknob as it dropped to the floor and rolled down the hall, trailing smoke. Luke scratched the back of his head. "Uh… oops. Forgot to mention that happens. Uh… sorry about that."

"Magical backlash when the spell's broken." Vlad explained. "Annoying, but no way around it on something this old."

"Well, I suppose we can get a new door put in…" Sara conceded, then leaned against the wall, laughing helplessly.

"Well, I guess saving the world just involves lots of explosions, no helping it." Drake shrugged. "Actually, that makes a certain amount of sense now that I think about it."

"You're twisted, you know that?" Luke remarked as he looked inside the treasury. "Let's see here… some armor and a shield-nice enough, I suppose, but nothing special… same with this saber… hey, Vlad, check this out." He held up a large silver dagger. "Now you've got one too!"

"Seems that way." Vlad nodded, actually sounding pleased for once. "This should come in handy… a lucky find, even if it's not what we need most."

"Yeah, point… what is this supposed to be?" Luke grunted as he hefted a solid iron staff, six feet long. "A super curtain rod? You could probably break heads with it, but that's about it… unless it's enchanted? I've heard mages can store spells in magic staffs…"

"They can." Mary admitted. "But that thing doesn't have any. Maybe it's a rejected attempt."

"What, tossed in here because they figured nobody would find it? Figures." Luke disgustedly chucked the iron staff into a corner, then brightened up. "Hey, is this it?" He was referring to a bundle of smaller red cylinders, each with a length of black wire protruding from one end.

"Hm…" Drake picked the bundle up and examined it. "What do you think, guys?"

"I'd say so." Mary nodded. "Not much else in here it could be, unless you want to try detonating that staff."

"Har! Not bad… I'm rubbing off on you!" The elf snickered. "All right then, we'll say this is the TNT. We've got it, then… now for a little rest, hm? At least one night here before we head back to the Temple Of Fiends?" Sara jumped.

"The Temple Of Fiends? Why?"

"According to the Prince, there's some stuff there too." Luke explained. "Same with the Dwarf Cave where we need to go… and with the Marsh Cave, but we're not heading back in THERE. Not worth it." The Princess made a face.

"Understandable. Well then, I suppose we'd better go see father now… he'll have been told about your arrival by now, and he'll probably be wondering what that explosion was, too."

"Most people would." Mary agreed. "Unless they grew up with me and my brother, anyways."

"I thought we agreed to never speak of the puffer fish incident again." Vlad growled, pulling his hat even further down over his face. "Bah and humbug."

"Oho, this sounds good." Drake grinned wickedly at the Black Mage. "Don't get too bent out of shape, man… tell you what, later tonight I'll tell you about the time I jumped out of a noble's window right onto a guardsman's head, eh?"

"If it's to hear of your humiliation, I suppose I can endure it." Vlad gave in. "Later, though. For now, let's go see the king before he sends the Guard to reenact the response to that move of yours."

They spent the night in Corneria as promised, staying up late talking and laughing with the Princess. The next day they left again, but not on their ship; the area around the temple was surrounded by sheer cliffs, so they were forced to hike again. Fortunately, the local wildlife were still suitably cowed by them, and so they returned to the temple with little trouble. It was as dark and dilapidated as ever, with the same undead inhabitants. Compared to Astos and the terrors of the Marsh Cave, though, they were nothing, and the Light Warriors now dispatched them with ease until the survivors fled into the woods, shrieking in terror.

"And to think, just a couple months ago we were scared of these clowns." Drake snorted.

"A couple months ago, we were nothing like we are now." Vlad reminded him. "And even now we'll still need to get a lot better to stand a chance against the Fiends. Which is why we're here in the first place."

"Yeah, yeah…" Drake shrugged. "Let's look, already. Caches in the four corners of the Temple, he said." The first one contained nothing but a jaunty cap, which Drake cheerfully donned. The second, though, held a sword with a strange design; the hilt had an ornamental wolf's head on its sides.

"An enchanted blade." Mary looked it over. "It was made to slay evil beasts… corrupted animals, like those wolves out there."

"So it'll be really effective against them or something?" Luke picked it up, then shook his head. "Doesn't feel as good in my hand as this silver one, though… might as well keep it around, I guess."

"Looks too heavy for me to use." Drake shrugged. "Oh well, let's keep ransacking." The third room simply held a collection of potions; healing, anti-poison, and even one that Mary identified as being able to cure petrification spells. The last room held another sword, this one lighter and covered with runes. Both Mages winced as they drew near it.

"That one's enchanted too… AGAINST magic, and anything that relies heavily on it." Vlad identified it. "Whatever you do, don't cut me or Mary with it."

"Like we'd do that anyways." Drake snorted, picking the blade up. "This is better than the saber I've got… although if it bugs you guys that much, I'll keep it in my pack unless we run into more Wizards."

"We'd prefer it." Mary admitted. "Well, if we're done here… Luke, where are you going?"

"Might as well check out Garland's room while we're here." Luke answered as he walked towards the center of the Temple. The other three followed him after a moment. Garland's room was unchanged, aside from its lack of inhabitants… something that Luke noticed instantly. "Hey… wait a second. Where'd he go?"

"Garland?" Drake looked around. "He's dead… he can't just go walking out. Right?"

"Well, he's not here." Mary shook her head. "Somebody must have taken his body away… those undead, maybe… what's this?" She looked at the altar in the back of the room where, sitting placidly, was an orb of black crystal. All four Light Warriors shuddered as they looked it over. "Gives me the creeps… doesn't it look like our Orbs?" On a simultaneous thought, all four pulled theirs out for comparison. The Black Orb was indeed the exact same size and shape as theirs, but where theirs were dim and foggy from the inside, the fifth Orb held nothing but a vast, total blackness… a hole with nothing inside.

"Weird…" Drake began to reach out a hand, intending to touch the Black Orb, when a frenzied squeaking filled the air and several small black bats flew down from the roof and began circling the Light Warriors' heads. "Whoa! Geddoff! Hey!" The Light Warriors stepped back, and instantly the bats stopped, flying over to land in front of the Black Orb. There were five of them, sitting there and staring gravely at them. "Hey… they don't really seem too hostile… did they actually attack any of us?"

"Doesn't look like it…" Vlad narrowed his eyes. "It seems they don't want us to touch that Black Orb… which we should have figured out by ourselves, idiot. That thing is NOT good… even if we have no idea what it is."

"Yeah… sorry." Drake shook his head.

"We should probably leave it alone for now, since we don't know what the heck it is…" Luke decided. "When we meet the Sages, though… let's make sure to ask them about it. I get the feeling it's important. Let's get going, then… off to the Aldi Straits again."

----------------------------

"Yo, Nerrick!" Bikke unceremoniously kicked the door of the Dwarven chief's private residence open, and all four Light Warriors winced. "Wakey wakey! Time to blow things up!" An empty mug came flying out of another room to strike Bikke in the face.

"What the hell are YEH doing here?" Nerrick bellowed, not emerging.

"We got yer TNT, that's what!" Bikke hollered back. "You want to blow that strait up or what?" There was a short silence from the room before Nerrick replied again.

"Dammit, all right… gimme a moment." Several minutes later, the Dwarven chief stumped out, rubbing his eyes. "Idjit… couldn't ya have waited a few hours at least?"

"Sorry about that." Luke apologized. "Bikke, man… come on. You're not THIS bad."

"You don't know this guy." Mr. Smite grunted. "Nerrick'll sleep until noon if ya let him. We want to get through that strait today, this is how to do it."

"Like yer an early bird." Nerrick muttered. "All right, where's the TNT?" Luke produced it, and the dwarf snatched it up eagerly. "Aye, this is it all right! Haha, yeh did it, lads! I'll have that damn thing down in no time, and with luck it'll give that asshole Lich a headache, too!"

"Amen to THAT." Drake grinned viciously. "Anything we can do to help?"

"Restrain Bikke." Nerrick answered promptly. "Aside from that, just stay out of the way… we'll take care of this." He snapped his fingers. "Here's somethin'… yeh've got the Mystic Key now, right? Smite, take 'em down to the locked room and let 'em go through it. Consider it our way of payin' yeh for this." He hefted the dynamite and grinned even wider. "Right! I'll get the lads together, then, and in a couple hours, it's boom time! Heh heh heh!" He walked out and began hollering at some other dwarves immediately, while Bikke turned to look at Mr. Smite.

"You can remember where the locked treasury here is?"

"Yes, I can remember things like that." The former First Mate confirmed. "It's why you keep me around."

"Oh, right."

"Anyone else feeling a little out of their depth here?" Drake muttered as the two pirates led the way towards another area of the Dwarf Cave.

"Hey, they know the turf." Luke shrugged. "Let 'em handle it. They ARE our buddies."

"Right, here it is." Mr. Smite indicated a locked door. "Don't worry about the explosion; they're used to 'em around here."

"Right." Opening the door, Luke stepped over its remnants and began rooting around in the pile of dusty gear. "Okay, this time we have… some helmets, a little cash…" He pocketed that. "Another silver dagger-might as hang onto it in case yours breaks or something, Vlad… hoo, some silver armor too! And what's this… looks like another enchanted sword." It was short and green, with a dragon carved around the hilt. "Let me guess. Kills dragons?"

"Yup." Mary confirmed.

"STILL not my style of blade… oh well." Sighing, Luke handed it to Drake, who grinned.

"I'll use this, then, since it doesn't seem to bug you guys. There goes my theory of Vlad being a dragon under that hat. Oh well, one down, about twenty to go!"

"If you even mention Ogres, Imps, Sahagin, or anything else related to them I'm setting you on fire." Vlad snorted. "Well, looks like we're done here. Now what?"

"Now we go out and wait for the show!" Bikke crowed. "We won't wanna miss it, believe me!"

"Beer first." Mr. Smite suggested. "We're running low."

"Arrgh, of course!" The former Captain slapped his forehead. "Right, we get a few drinks for the road, THEN head back!" The 'few drinks' turned out to be three massive barrels that took all of them to carry back to the ship. Once that had been done, Bikke took the _Amphitrite_ out about a mile away from the harbor, and they waited for about an hour, lounging on the deck and looking out at the blockade.

"So… when's it gonna happen?" Drake wondered eventually. As soon as he said it, the sky was light up with a blinding light as a massive pillar of fire erupted from the blockade, tearing through the clouds with a noise like the world itself had been cracked in half.

"Get down!" Bikke yelled, diving to the deck, and all the pirates followed suit. The Light Warriors did so as well only moments before a hail of heated gravel began battering them. Fortunately, it seemed it was not hot enough to set fire to the ship; after some time, the gravel dissipated, and the Light Warriors looked back up. The blockade was completely gone, and the Aldi Strait beckoned.

"Well." Drake dusted himself off. "That was interesting."

"Truly." Vlad agreed. "Let's never, ever do it again."

"We agree on something again." The elf noted. "How about that."

"Ar, just be glad the BIG rocks were launched further out." Bikke stood as well. "So! Off we go again, then… still want to head to Crescent Lake?" Mary and Luke glanced at each other, then at Drake.

"Well… Melmond's closer, right?" The Fighter asked.

"Yare… it's right on the other side of the Straits." Bikke nodded. "You figurin' on goin' there first?"

"We might as well." Mary followed up. "I've heard that's where Lich, the Fiend of Earth, is… since we'll be near there anyways, we could do some recon on what he's up to. It's worth trying, anyways."

"Well, you all know I won't vote against heading towards Lich." Drake smiled grimly, then looked at Vlad, who sighed and turned away, slumping against a rail.

"Whatever."

"Melmond it is, then!" Bikke bounded over to the wheel. "Away we go, har har har!"

----------------------------

To the east of Elfland was the land of Melmond, extending southwest from the extensive mountain ranges that surrounded the Aldi Strait. Those same mountains covered much of Melmond, but the lower lands were rolling plains, healthy and bountiful. The people of Melmond were mostly humans, docile and industrious farmers, although the dwarves of the mountains were friendly as well and occasionally even came down to join the human communities. Cultivating the soil and the flourishing bounties of nature, Melmond had been a prosperous country, always willing to aid its neighbors in times of famine or strife. Until the coming of the Fiend of Earth.

"It's worse than I had imagined…" Luke growled as the _Amphitrite_ approached Melmond City. "So this is what the presence of a Fiend does to a land… and this is the capital?" If it hadn't been for the presence of people wandering around listlessly, the city would have appeared to be an abandoned wreckage. There was not a single straight street in the town, if one could call the unpaved, crooked dirt paths streets at all. The houses themselves were no better; not only were they dangerously slanted in every direction imaginable, they were nearly falling apart. Every one of them had a pile of fallen shingles and bricks to one side, which the owners had made no attempt to clear. The people themselves looked normal enough at first glance, but closer examination revealed utter despair in their eyes.

"If the capital's this bad, what's it like out in the countryside…" Drake wondered. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since Lich arose, of course." Vlad's eyes were burning, and he spoke with an unusual heat. "What you're seeing is the result of two hundred years of exposure to the most vile abomination imaginable. The Fiends are the antithesis of creation… everything they do brings ruin."

"It's horrible…" Mary was staring at the massive graveyard, which was even now being expanded further. "These people don't have any hope left… they're just waiting for the day that they're the ones chosen by Lich to die. They've given up on anything else in their lives."

"Aye… 'tis a sorry state." Bikke had relinquished the wheel, and was now standing at the rail with the Light Warriors, looking at Melmond with a weary cynicism. "It was like this the first time I came to this part o' the world, and it ain't changed since. Crescent Lake ain't so bad, with Kary sleepin' all the time, but Onrac up near Kraken is like this… and there ain't even this much left of Lefein. Tiamat blew that all away." He gave the Light Warriors a direct look. "You was all born a fair distance away from the Fiends… this'd be yer first time seein' what they do up close, firsthand. Change yer minds about yer job any?"

"Just the opposite." Drake scowled. "Looking at all those faces… every one of those people out there has lost somebody they love in the worst way possible. And I'm going to take the cost of every single one of those lives out of Lich's hide. With a dull, rusty knife." The other Light Warriors nodded in agreement, and Bikke grinned ferociously.

"Good, good. With thinkin' like that, and the kinda stuff ya fellas can dish out, ya just might stand a chance. With that in mind, though… seems to me we got a decision to make here. Are ya just stopping here for the moment, see what big L's up to, or are ya gonna throw down with 'im here an' now? 'Cause if it's just the former, might not wanna go around announcing who and what ya are just yet." He looked back to the people again. "See, folks like that… it may SEEM like givin' 'em any little bit of hope would be a good thing… but if ya tell 'em yer the guys who'll kill Lich, then just sail off to Crescent Lake an' leave him here… s'gonna hit 'em even harder. Make 'em even more down. So maybe ya should just keep a lid on yer identities for a bit, eh? I doubt they'll care much… didn't even object to me sailin' in here and parkin' right in front, and I KNOW Melmond knows who I am."

"You're one of a kind, Bikke." Drake admitted with a slight smile. "He's got a point, fellas. Low key might be the way to go until we sound out what's going on here… we COULD try picking a fight with Lich before we meet up with the Sages, but as much as I want the bastard's head, it might not be a good idea… let's scout out the deal here more before we make any decisions."

"Subtle's not usually my thing, but I guess I can manage it if you guys do most of the talking." Luke conceded. "I assume we'll want to stay clear of the castle, then… should we just check in at the inn and then hit the taverns?"

"We might as well shop around while we're here, too." Mary suggested. "You two can look up the smiths around here, and we'll check out the local magicians for some updating." She smiled a little too. "It was nice of your girlfriend to fund us some more, Luke. I'm starting to suspect she likes you."

"I think your sister's been hanging around Drake too much." Luke mentioned to Vlad. "His tendency to make clever comments is rubbing off."

"It might be contagious." The Black Mage agreed. "I just hope that's the only thing he has that is. Perhaps we should take him by the doctor's here too to have him checked out."

"And that's my cue to jump ship." Drake hurdled the rail and landed neatly on the shabby dock. "Meetcha at the nicest inn around in a couple hours, guys!" The other Light Warriors left the ship more sedately, and spread out into Melmond.

Several hours later and some spells and equipment richer (and several thousand gold pieces poorer), the Light Warriors reconvened at an inn that was only slightly inclined. Before going down into the tavern, they met in their rooms to discuss what they had learned already.

"Actually, we might not even need to go there… it looked like the sort of place where everybody wants to be alone with their problems, and the guys me and Luke visited were talkative enough anyways." Drake was toying with the Dragon Sword he had picked up from the Dwarf Cave as he talked; apparently, he hadn't found anything to top it. "Were your magicians friendly enough to give you info too?"

"Oh, yes." Mary nodded grimly. "They told us all about how Lich comes out personally and kills somebody himself once a week… drains them of blood entirely. His method of choosing who seems random, but even here in the capital, the one he picks can never escape. Even the Guard have given up trying to stop him… just leads to even more deaths."

"We've got a visual description of him, though." Luke noted. "Not as impressive as I expected, really… just a pale guy in a blue cloak with big teeth."

"It's not looks that count." Vlad pointed out. "It's his power. We still don't know how strong that really is… and we likely won't until we test him ourselves. The Sages theorized that a great deal of the Fiends' power is passive… they cause destruction and chaos by their very existence, and you can't aim that kind of thing. How much power can Lich directly call down on our heads when we meet him face to face? That's what's going to determine our fight with him… what is that screaming?" The Black Mage irritably glanced out the window. "Looks like something's wrong…"

"They're screaming 'LICH' over and over again." The sharp-eared Elf detected, standing up. "Sounds like he's coming to the capital for his snack tonight. Looks like it's time for us to make a decision, fellas."

"Now? Sheesh!" Luke groaned. "I'll admit that if we do want to fight him, this is the best way to do it… here out in the open, instead of in the core of his turf. But are we ready?"

"I think we'll have to be." Mary hefted her silver hammer, reflecting the moonlight from the window. "He's here to kill somebody… we can't just stand here and let him do that, can we?"

"Do you always have to put it like that?" Vlad glared at his sister. "When you say it that way, you cut off all choice in the matter. We can't very well say that we'll let his victim die just because we don't want to risk our own hides."

"I'm guessing that's WHY she did it that way." Drake looked out the window. "Looks like he's coming in through the south gate… everybody's running. Shall we get down there and start this off? If he DOES prove to be too much, humiliating as it may be, Bikke's still anchored nearby to provide us an escape route. But let's hope it won't come to that, eh?"

"Right." Luke shoved the door open and dashed down the stairs with the other three in tow. "Let's see how we stack up against the Fiend of Earth!" Bursting through the front door, they shoved past the fleeing citizens and stood squarely in Lich's path. The blue-cloaked monster stopped and looked them over, bloody red pupils set in black flickering from one to another.

"Hm… and who would you be? Some band of ruffians seizing the opportunity to try and play the heroes?" He laughed, exposing massive fangs. "Fools… I am no ordinary monster. I am LICH, Fiend of Earth, and you're delaying my meal. I'll give you one chance to change your minds and step aside… be smart and do so, and only one death will come from my hands tonight. Otherwise…"

"Nice to meet you, Lich." Luke greeted him back, reaching into his pack. "As a matter of fact, we have business with you… it's been a while in coming, but now it looks like we can finally deal." Pulling out his Orb, he raised it. "I believe this is yours. We're here to return it. Or if not this one, one of those belonging to my buddies here… the sentiment still stands, though." Seeing the Orb, Lich recoiled, hissing.

"The Orb of Air! You're THEM… the Light Warriors!"

"Amazing deduction there, old boy." Drake drawled, then glared, dropping any semblance of humor. "Then you should know what we're here for, too. You were right, though… there WILL be only one death tonight. And it just happens to be yours." The Vampire drew back, then cackled and raised his hands.

"You poor idiots… coming against me THIS early in your careers? I've been watching you, and I know just how undertrained you are… you've made a fatal error, trying yourself against the Fiend of Earth without your true power! Your journey, your lives, and your pathetic Prophecy all end, here and now! Console yourselves with the knowledge that you've bought the unlucky sap I was going to feast on another week of life… I'll drain you all instead, starting with the girl!" In less than a second, he was upon Mary, crossing the feet between them instantly and lunging for her throat. Before he could strike, though, an intense white light gathered around her hands, and Lich fell back, screaming and covering his face. The sphere of light she held flew out and smashed into him before detonating, sending him flying.

"Holy magic… it banishes the undead, which it seems your form has some relation to." Mary noted. "Brother, would you care to follow up?"

"Only too glad to." Vlad raised his hands, and twin fireblasts poured from them to ignite the enemy. "The undead also burn quite well, abomination… as you're finding out." The Vampire frantically beat at the flames covering his cloak, then brought his hands up just in time to catch Luke's sword.

"Ah, ah, ah." Lich grinned again. "Close, but no-YOW!" His hands smoking, he dropped the sword and jumped back. "Silver? Damn you all… WHOA!" Drake's sword took a chunk out of his shoulder as he jumped away, raising his hands. There was a flash of bright light-several of them, actually, in random colors-and all four Light Warriors reeled, clutching their eyes. "Ha! Got you! It seems I've made a tactical error… I'll just have to go hungry for now! If you really want to kill me, come to the Earth Cave, and we'll see how you do on MY turf! I'll be waiting!" When their vision cleared, the Vampire was gone.

"Damn… he got away!" Drake kicked the ground angrily.

"At least we didn't lose." Vlad reminded him. "On the contrary, we seemed to have the upper hand. I'm loathe to admit it, but we might be able to actually count on victory here. If that's all he can do to us directly, we should be able to overcome him, even on his own grounds." He blinked, realizing for the first time that all of the citizens were staring at them. "Oh, hell… we've drawn a crowd. So much for keeping low-key here." One old man approached them, albeit a bit hesitantly.

"Are you… the Light Warriors?" He asked. "Sarda told us you would be coming…"

"Yeah, we're the Light Warriors." Luke gave in, sheathing his sword. "Sarda… name sounds familiar. He the Sage from here?"

"Yes… he returned to us recently, and told us to expect the coming of the Light Warriors soon." The old man explained. All four of them raised eyebrows at that bit of news.

"Returning home from Crescent Lake? That's unusual…" Mary murmured. "As far as I know, the Sages haven't left there once since they convened a decade ago. Where is Sarda now?"

"He went south… through the Titan's Tunnel." The elder reported a bit gloomily. "I don't know how he made it past the Titan… that one bars the path of all others. But before he went, he said that when you came here, it would be to rid us of our scourge… is this true?"

"Pretty much, it looks like." Drake smiled at them all. "We might want to see if we can find a way to go see this Sarda first, but after that it looks like we're headed to the Earth Cave. Why don't we go on back to the tavern and we'll tell you all about it?"

----------------------------

As the Light Warriors had feared, the condition of the land of Melmond deteriorated much, much further once they had left the city behind and headed south. The once-fertile lands had been rotted by Lich's taint, becoming festering swamps filled with monsters and undead; to the disgust of Drake in particular, many of them resembled the evolutionary defects that had inhabited the Marsh Cave. With the magical cabins providing safety at night, the Light Warriors slogged on, until they finally emerged from the wastes a week's travel south of Melmond.

"Right, according to the directions of the old man, that stretch of mountains to the west should hold the entrance to the Titan's Tunnel." Luke recalled. "On the other hand, if we keep heading south across that narrow strip of land, we'll reach the Earth Cave. Let's try for the Titan first… I'd still like to consult at least one Sage if we can before taking Lich on in his own turf."

"Probably for the best." Drake agreed as they continued onward. "So, I've been wondering… just what the heck is a Titan anyways?"

"According to the legends, when the Elements created the world, they made the Titans first in order to help them with the actual building process… do the heavy lifting, so to speak." Mary recited. "They were supposed to have all left when the work was done, but it looks like one stuck around… just in case, I guess."

"They don't really have much in the way of thought processes." Vlad added. "If the Melmondians are right and he doesn't like letting people through, we're likely to be out of luck."

"Still, gotta try." Luke shrugged as they entered the cavern in the base of the mountains before them. The Titan's Tunnel was oddly lit by a dim blue glow that seemed to emanate from the very rocks around them. After only a few feet, it narrowed sharply so that they could barely fit through, and beyond that, a massive, vaguely manlike figure blocked the way. His rough, jagged hide looked to be made of the same blue rock as his tunnel, and he wore a brown, sleeveless kirtle. Looking down at them from a pair of gaps in his head that were probably eyes, he spoke.

"None pass this way."

"Um… we kind of need to, really bad, big guy." Drake tried his most winning smile. "We have to talk with Sarda… I think he's expecting us."

"Sarda?" The Titan thought about that for a moment. "Sarda said… some come. Bring me ruby." Something shone in his eyes. "You have… ruby?"

"Um… no?" Drake blinked, nonplussed. He looked at the other Light Warriors, who shook their heads. "Sorry, big guy… we're not really in the jewelry business right now."

"Then… no pass." The Titan stated firmly. "Bring ruby… then me let you through."

"Well, great." Luke muttered as they departed. "Where the heck are we going to get a ruby?"

"Perhaps there'll be one in the Earth Cave." Mary attempted to placate him.

"Maybe… I suppose we could always shake Lich until one falls out." Drake suggested. "Oh well, it was worth a shot… to the Fiend of Earth, then." Half a week more of travel brought them to a narrow valley lying between two mountain ranges. It was even more bleak than the swamp; grey, jagged stone completely devoid of life. No grass, no tree, no plant of any sort grew on the barren rocks, and the only animals were the occasional monster. After walking through the dead valley for a day, they finally found it; a massive opening in the wall to their left, large enough to fit Bikke's entire ship through. A faint, brownish glow was barely visible through the darkness, and all four Light Warriors could feel a dark, powerful evil emanating from it.

"The Earth Cave… this is it, guys." Luke declared bleakly. "Last chance to turn back."

"None of are going to do that." Mary shook her head, drawing her robes further around her. "We've come too far for that. It's time to start achieving our destiny."

"My sister is right… if this is the chosen time, than so be it." Vlad glared fiercely out from the darkness under his hat. "We've faced horrors enough already. Let's see what this cave's got."

"Whatever it is… we'll beat it down." Drake agreed, stabbing behind him and killing the hyena that had been pouncing without even looking. "It's only been a few months, but we're worlds beyond where we started… let's do this."

"If we're all agreed, then… it's time to go." Luke led the way, slashing at any monsters in their path, as they walked down the sloping tunnel into the earth's depths. Soon, the brown glow became just as apparent as the blue aura in the Titan's Tunnel, removing the need for a torch; this glow, though, had a sickly tinge that none of the Light Warriors looked at long. Instead, they kept their attention on the enemies; ogres, both normal and green, were the first wave of bouncers, and were quickly dealt with. Here, the path split, leading four ways.

"Hey… I think I can see signs above the tunnels." Drake muttered. "That one ahead of us says… Hall of Snakes." He shuddered. "Don't think we'll want that… or this one to our right, Hall of Slimes."

"Like the ones in the Marsh Cave?" Vlad recalled. "My magic's strong, but I don't think I'd want to blast through an entire hall of them."

"Nooo." Drake squinted at the third. "Hall of… geists? Ghouls? Can't see it clearly-" He broke off as Mary clapped a hand over his mouth and pulled him down, Luke and Vlad diving to the floor as well behind a few large rocks. In the hall being discussed, a humongous humanoid had appeared, dwarfing even the Ogres. Twenty feet tall with jade-green skin, wearing only tights and a massive cloak, the Giant looked that way, then continued on his path. Ludicrously, he held a leash attached to a bug-lizard Iguana, which strained towards the Light Warriors before its master pulled it away.

"Giants… Hall of Giants." Drake whispered once it was gone. "Sheesh, I never thought they were real…"

"They are." Mary stood up, dusting herself off. "We have them up near Gaia… now we know why these tunnels are so wide. Sorry about that, but I had to get you out of sight before he saw you."

"If it's to keep me from being stomped on, feel free to abuse me however you please." Drake winked. "Or for any other reason, I don't mind." Mary giggled, and Vlad scowled.

"What's the last one?" He asked grumpily.

"Ah? Oh, right… Hall of Earth." Drake reported. "That one seems the most innocuous… shall we give it a go?"

"Might as well." Luke headed down the hall, and the others followed. At first, it seemed uninhabited, but to their surprise, a pair of monstrous forms suddenly lunged out of the wall. They vaguely resembled humans, but they were made of swirling sand that ghosted across the hall towards them.

"All intruders shall die… for the glory of Lord Lich!" One of them hissed.

"Earth… as in Earth Elementals!" Vlad snarled. "Be careful!" The Elementals were troublesome to put down; only repeated strokes to the head seemed to harm them at all physically, and Vlad's magic was required to finish them off, dissolving them back into sand. Mary healed them and they continued, further down into the depths of the earth. Unfortunately, the way was even more complex from then on, becoming a labyrinth with no more directing signs. The monsters continued to confront them, though; a swarm of assorted undead, new breeds of vile ooze, even some of the Wizards of Marsh, who had apparently found a new master. Most dangerous of all were a flock of deceptively harmless-looking blue birds. Seeing them, Luke and Drake relaxed, then jumped as Vlad cursed and unleashed a cloud of incredible coldness that froze the entire flock solid and dropped them to the ground.

"Cocatrices." Vlad explained grimly. "If you look into their eyes, you turn to stone. Don't." Unfortunately, the last hall they journeyed through had several more flocks, alternated with the Wizards of Marsh, until they finally reached a pair of steel doors. Kicking them open, the Light Warriors glared at the Vampire, who sat on a throne of black basalt, calmly sipping from a goblet of some red liquid.

"So… you have come." Lich grinned sharply at them and threw his cup aside. "How brave of you. You confront me, the Fiend of Earth, here in the seat of my power… I am impressed. Well done… I'm so pleased with your bravery, I'll give you one more chance to flee and live. What do you say?"

"Thanks, but not today, scum." Drake tested the edge of his sword. "Today's the day we settle things… end of the road for you."

"Then you will perish, here and now! THAT is the only destiny you shall fulfill… the destiny of all your kind!" Lich stood and flared his cape dramatically. "All living things were born to die in the end-and now, it's your time to see that with your own eyes!" Luke and Drake charged, blades flashing.

"Sounds to me like you're offering yourself up as an example!" The Thief grunted. "We'll take you up on that offer!" The Vampire dodged his blade easily and caught Drake's, forcing it aside then smashing the elf away with a simple slap that sent him flying. Luke continued to hack at him, but Lich dodged easily again and again.

"Is this all you can do?" He struck at Luke's chest, forcing him back, but the Fighter just smiled.

"The word is diversion." Lich's eyes widened an instant before the twin magical attacks of Mary and Vlad struck him. Blasts of holy and flaming magic met and mixed on the Vampire's body, and he was sent flying with even more force than he had launched Drake, a screaming wreckage that thudded into the back of his room before sliding down.

"Damn… you…" Lich croaked as Drake and Luke charged again. Raising his hands, he created the flash of blinding lights again, but the two of them simply closed their eyes and continued charging, then swept their blades into opposite sides of the Fiend of Earth's body. The silver and dragon swords met with a clash, severing Lich in half completely at the chest. The Fiend of Earth gaped at them once more, then dissolved, fading away into sand like the Elementals had.

"…Well." Drake stood up and sheathed his blade. "That was easy… scratch one Fiend, I guess."

"Yeah…" Luke agreed. "Weird, though… Astos was better than THAT. I'm not the brightest guy around, but…"

"But something's up." Vlad agreed. "Take out your Orbs, everybody." They all did; all four crystals were just as dull as ever. "Shouldn't there be some sort of reaction from this kind of thing?"

"Maybe if we look around a bit more…" Mary suggested, walking over to Lich's remains. "Hey… check this out." Sitting in the pile was a ruby the size of her fist, blood-red and faintly glowing. "Think the Titan would like this?"

"I'll bet he would." Drake grinned. "Pick it up, then… now, if all else fails, we can go ask Sarda about this." Further exploration revealed a passageway behind the throne. Short and simple, it ended in a six-foot stone plate, heavily engraved with ancient runes and curious symbols. "What's this supposed to be?" Both Mary and Vlad shuddered, stepping back from it.

"Magic… that makes even that spell Astos cast on the Prince look like child's play." Mary gasped. "That plate… it's the most powerful enchantment I've ever felt. It's intense."

"And… under it…" Vlad growled. "Can you feel it?"

"Something evil…" Luke realized. "Like the feeling we get from this place… only moreso. It's… the same feel as from the Black Orb in the Temple Of Fiends. This… this isn't good."

"I think it's time we got out of here." Drake decided. "If we can't do anything with this plate right now, then we definitely need to ask Sarda about this. Messing around without knowing what's up is a bad idea. But I'll say this… I don't think our business here is over yet. Let's go consult with the Sage, and find out what exactly is going on here." Turning, the Light Warriors departed, trying to shake off the feeling that the stone plate was actually watching them from behind… watching their backs with every step that they took upon the earth.

But even after they left that room, the feeling persisted.


	7. Chapter 6: Seasons Don't Fear The Reaper

**_Chapter 6: Seasons Don't Fear The Reaper_**

"Lich… are you there?" The voice of Tiamat hissed as the cloud of blackness appeared, unnecessary in the absolute darkness so far beneath the earth but created regardless for the formality. "I've come to pay you a visit."

"How touching." The Fiend of Earth growled sardonically from his seat of rock, where he slumped in a dark gloom. "It's only been two decades since you actually came to see me down here, or is it three? Still not as long as Kary and Kraken, though, I'll admit… well, perhaps that will change soon. I'm afraid my vessel will not be able to perform his function any more."

"Oh?" One of Tiamat's many eyebrows lifted curiously. "And why would that be? Did he displease you?"

"You could say that, yes… I suppose he did." Lich chuckled shortly. "But not in the way you are imagining. He displeased me by failing… by dying. Permanently, this time. Three guesses who it was who killed him."

"The Light Warriors?" Tiamat recoiled. "They're here, then? And challenging you directly?"

"They're trying to, at least… they thought that puppet was actually me, and are quite proud of themselves for killing a Fiend already." Lich laughed again. "It would be rather amusing, really… if it weren't for the fact that I remain unable to correct their idiocy. I remain here, trapped… a prisoner in the heart of my own power!" Seething, he touched off a tremor that would knock the edge off a cliff face in the general direction of the four mortals he loathed so much, hoping it would claim them. "I am the Fiend of Earth, and I am powerless to correct this affront against me!"

"It is… nearly unbearable." Tiamat agreed. "I apologize once again for that mistake… we were so sure of victory, we never imagined your counterpart would do such a thing as this. However…" The Fiend of Air's eyes narrowed. "There is still the matter of that… prophecy. If they wish to truly kill you, those four will have to get to you… and as long as that plate is in place, they cannot."

"You think… they will find a way to shatter it?" Lich's own eyes glowed at that thought. "If they can… if they DO… I will show them the true might of a Fiend. I might even kill them quickly, out of gratitude for freeing me… well, relatively quickly, anyways. Maybe."

"It may not be as easy as that." Tiamat cautioned. "That prophecy… worries me. And I know it does you as well."

"Of course… I'm not so much of a fool as Kraken or Kary." Lich agreed. "But I don't want any of you here when it happens… we're still elementals, and the presence of one of you would offset my own powers… weaken me. I want to unleash everything I am on those wretched mortals… just in case."

"Fair enough… and well-thought out, as well." The Fiend of Air agreed. "When you fight them, I'll stay out of it. However… there are other ways we can prepare for the worst. Ever since the Chaos Knight died, I have been working on thinking of… a backup plan. Just in case. It will take all four of us, but the other two will not budge right at first if I know them. You, though, are more intelligent… will you help me with it now, before you confront the Light Warriors?"

"A backup plan, you say… very interesting." Lich hissed. "Tell me more about this, old friend… much more."

----------------------------

"No one passes this road." The Titan greeted the four Light Warriors dully with the exact same words as before.

"Really? You sure about that?" Drake winked slyly as he produced the ruby that had been found on the Vampire's remains. "Not even if we give you this?" The Titan's eyes gleamed, back in the sunken holes of his face.

"Ruby! You give? Then… you pass." He held out his hand, and the Thief deposited the jewel into it. Shoving the ruby into his maw, the Titan retreated until he could step aside, then did so. As the Light Warriors edged through the narrow passage they heard the crunching as the mighty monolith chewed the Ruby up with ease. "Tasty… rubies are my favorite. Funny… aftertaste like blood. But still good." He paused in thought. "If you give Ruby… Sarda waiting for you."

"We figured as much." Luke agreed. "We're on our way to see him right now, don't worry."

"Okay." The Titan walked back into his tunnel once they were clear. "When you come back, you pass again for free."

"Thanks, big guy! We appreciate it!" Drake waved as they walked out of the other side of the tunnel. "Right then, now we just need to get to Sarda and ask him what's going on. Tallyho!"

"It's too early for your jabbering." Vlad muttered, pulling his hat down further over his eyes. "I didn't sleep well last night. Granted, I don't sleep well ANY night, but last night was worse than usual."

"We noticed." Luke shuddered, remembering the ear-rending shrieks that had come from the Black Mage's room in the insta-cabin. "At least we got back to sleep, though."

"Yes, we can't all be so lucky… eh, I'm used to it." Vlad looked around. "Should be to the east. Let's pick it up."

It was only a few days since their defeat of Lich; though Drake and Mary had wanted to return to Melmond City first, Luke and Vlad argued that it would be better simply to continue to Sarda's first since it would add another week to go to the capital and return. Their logic had won out in the end, and they had advanced to the Titan's Tunnel and won through. Only two days later, they finally reached a cave at the base of yet another mountain that was noticeably covered with a wooden door. A welcome mat before it and a metal pipe rising out of the stone above further reinforced the obvious fact that somebody lived there. Without pausing, Luke strode up and rapped sharply on the door.

"Hey, Sarda! You there?"

"If it's the Imp Scouts, I'm all stocked up on thin mints already!" A gruff voice bellowed from the inside.

"What if it's the Troll Scouts instead? Or maybe the Ogre Scouts?" Drake hollered back, then gave in. "How about the Light Warriors, then?"

"Light Warriors? Come on in, then, but if I see four Ogres wearing uniforms, I'm blasting you all the way to the Ryukahn Desert!" Sarda yelled in response. "Door's unlocked!"

"That seems a bit unsafe in this day and age." Mary noted as they entered. "Especially with all the monsters around, and this close to the Fiend of Earth's location too…" Sarda's cavern dwelling was simple but comfortably furnished, with enough to accommodate a single occupant easily. After the large entry room, a hall led towards the back, with several doors in its sides before it turned at the end. As she spoke, an old man wearing blue robes with a long brown beard walked out of that bend in the hall.

"Lich doesn't scare me. And the other monsters have learned to stay clear of this place… one DOES pick up a few tricks after being in the business this long." Sarda the Sage was polishing a dish as he walked over to them. "Sit down, sit down. I carved these chairs myself; they're hardly cushioned wonders, but they'll take the load off your feet." Putting the dish down as they sat, he looked them over. "So… you're the Light Warriors. Lukahn, Vallish and Merton all spoke well of your potential. It seems you've been on the road to realizing that… good." All four Light Warriors recognized the names of one of the three Sages who had instructed them in their youths as to their tasks, then departed to convene with Sarda and the others at Crescent Lake.

"Sarda, the Sage of Melmond… one of the twelve vessels of the Prophecy that foretold OUR coming." Vlad coolly regarded him. "Well met. As you may expect, we have come to you for instruction regarding our purpose."

"Indeed… so it was foretold." Sarda made a face. "And it only took us forty years to figure THAT part out. 'He who speaks from earth shall be first, and return to earth he shall to speak again when the Light Warriors come to him first.' If that's NOT me we're in trouble, but as near as we can figure it is." The old man rolled his eyes. "Not that I'd mind handing the job off to somebody else if I thought I could get away with it.

"Hey, I doubt you had it as bad as us." Luke protested, and Sarda fixed him with a cold gaze.

"Come on. Some drunken pirates, a few second-rate wizards and a crazed wannabe king? I could polish all those off in half an hour, tops. All at once. The Chaos Knight MAY have been a different story-once-but you brought him down too. Whereas me and the other Sages have been wrecking our brains trying to puzzle out all the meaning beyond these stupid words for the past eighty years-and we STILL haven't managed it. THAT is a bad career."

"Still?" Luke raised an eyebrow. "It's THAT bad?"

"See for yourself." Pulling a long scroll out of a drawer, Sarda unrolled it onto the table they were seated around. "Check it out. We've even got it separated into different sections, for each of our individual statements… eighty years ago, the twelve of us spoke at length in a voice that shook the earth. People recorded those statements, and we discovered that all of us, though we had never met each other before in our lives, had spoken of the exact same subject and many of our words supported each other. That was the main thing that got the attention of all the royal families and convinced them we were on the up-and-up… that, and I suppose they figured they had nothing to lose by going along with a long shot on killing the Fiends."

"It looks like gibberish to me." Mary assessed, looking over the scroll. "And it's not even consistent… one minute you were talking about the wooden wings that sail the sky, then in the next sentence it's about the prisoner of purchase in a cage of glass. And this is the real Prophecy?"

"Yup. That's it." Sarda groused, sinking further down in his chair. "There are two things that make it so bad. First, it's got no sense of order… it talks about your journey as a whole, not in progression, so there's no guarantee what happens when in the order of our talking. And second, you'll notice there are no names there, either of places or of people… it's all in obscure descriptions. Once we figured that out, we could try to start understanding the meaning. Right there, about halfway down in the Oracle of Alisham… that's the part that tells me to depart from the Circle and head back here to meet with you when you come."

"It's there, all right… 'He who speaks from earth shall be first, and return to earth he shall to speak again when the Light Warriors come to him first.' If you guys figure that means this, I ain't arguing." Luke looked up. "So then… that leaves the question of what exactly you're going to tell us. We've been to the Earth Cave already, and killed Lich… but there are a few things that worry us. See, it was easy… too easy. Moreso than that 'crazed wannabe king', I think you put it. And there was something else there, a plate set in the ground at the very back. Mary and Vlad here said it had the toughest magic they'd ever seen on it… all me and Drake could figure was that something about it felt bad. Evil. Any idea what's up with all of that?"

"Much to my regret, I do… and I have to inform you that your tasks here are not complete." Sarda closed his eyes. "Look there, near the beginning of the Oracle of Kalabak… 'There is darkness near the heart of Earth, and deception as well. The ruby is the heart of lies, but not the heart of Earth.' Then in the Oracle of Merton… 'He who is the curse of Earth is the prisoner of it also, locked by his own power.' And in my own account… 'The Fiend of Earth is not the Fiend of Earth.' Finally, in the Oracle of Macgreyson… 'Bend all your power, and craft a Rod that holds power over Earth, to open the cage of he who must be slain.' See if you can make something of that when you put it together with what you've done here so far."

"The ruby… is that the one we found after we killed…" Drake started, then froze, all the color draining from his face. "Wait… that means… if I'm reading this right… are you saying that wasn't Lich?"

"Correct." Sarda nodded bleakly. "For some reason, Lich is a prisoner of his own power… and thus, he had to use that Vampire as a puppet. I knew it as soon as I saw him for the first time… he's identical to other Vampires, who serve Tiamat in HER palace. She must have given this one to Lich as a gift, since they're the most powerful form of the undead, whom Lich has an affinity for… but he was not the true Fiend of Earth. That one, the real Lich, is still behind that plate you mentioned, unable to escape. If you wish to kill him, you will have to shatter that plate."

"So then… you have this Rod that's mentioned there?" Mary wondered.

"Yes… we labored mightily to construct it, using all of our art, once we realized the significance of that passage." Sarda walked over to a bookcase and pulled one massive, two-foot tome out. Grunting under its weight, he carried it to the table and dumped it there, then opened it to reveal a short staff of solid gold, hidden in a hollow of the pages. "Here it is… this is the Rod I returned here to deliver to you."

"Opulent." Vlad noted, attempting to lift it and failing, wincing and removing his hand quickly. "Heavy, too… and it doesn't seem to like me. You'd better do it, Luke."

"Much like silver is a metal that loves magic and adds might beyond the physical to weapons carved of it, even in those who are untutored in the arts themselves… gold is the opposite, a metal that magic shrinks from. We created this staff with that in mind and further strengthened those qualities… it's not a weapon, but striking any stationary enchantment will hopefully shatter it. If we crafted it well enough, even that plate in the Earth Cave." Sarda looked them in the eye, one by one. "But be prepared… when you do so, there will be no turning back. Shattering that plate will free Lich, the Fiend of Earth, and once you do, you dare not turn your backs on him. It will be time for you to truly slay your first Fiend… all the world will be depending on your success. Are you ready?"

"We have to be, don't we?" Luke shrugged, hefting the Rod before placing it into his pack. "Nobody else can, or so we understand it… I'm not a thinker, but these guys are, and they seem to agree with me on this, so I guess that's just the way it goes. Will you be returning to Crescent Lake now?"

"Indeed I will… I and all the other Sages will pray for your success." Sarda nodded, rolling up his copy of the Prophecy. "If you succeed, then come next to Crescent Lake… I will inform the others to prepare for your arrival, and we shall further explain the prophecy and your next steps to you."

"We'll do our best." Mary promised. "Thank you again… and good luck to you as well."

----------------------------

And thus did the four Light Warriors return once more to the Earth Cave, heart and soul of the first element they were to confront. Again they followed the same path as before, battling the elemental servants of Lich and the accursed green Ogres, the Wizards of Marsh and the stone-gazing Cocatrices. And finally, they did return to the room of the Vampire, and beyond it the stone plate that held their enemy imprisoned.

"There's the plate." Luke removed the Rod from his pack, then paused and handed it to Drake. "Here… you do it. This one's personal for you, after all…" Silently taking it, Drake approached the plate and gazed down at it for a moment before striking it sharply with the butt of the Rod. For a moment there was no reaction, but then cracks appeared in the plate, glowing with a brilliant white light… and then it exploded violently, blasting apart in fragments that flew all the way to the back of the room. Below it, a carved stone ladder led down into a hole, deeper into the earth.

"That's it, then… no turning back now." Drake handed the Rod back to the Fighter. "For better or for worse, Lich's free… and we're the only ones standing in the way of the real thing descending upon Melmond. Let's go." One by one, the Light Warriors climbed down the ladder and continued onward. More of the undead stood in their way, the worst of them being bandage-wrapped mummies that ignited en masse with a few words from Vlad or melted into dust with those of his sister. From that point on, they also had to be careful of attacks from behind; Green Ogres, the Wizards of Marsh, and once even a pack of hyenas from aboveground would come charging up behind them, bolstering the undead inhabitants of the sealed floor. Such attacks would not have been an issue were it not for the fading light; the deeper they went, the more the brown light emanating from the cavern walls around them faded. When they eventually reached the fifth floor, there was no glow at all; the cavern was totally dark.

"Now what?" Luke muttered once they were all down there. "I can't even see my own hand in front of my face down here…"

"Here, let me." Mary spoke a chant, and a glowing ball of light appeared above her head. "A few modifications to the Lamp spell, and instead of restoring light to afflicted eyes, it releases it more gradually over a general area."

"Very nice." Drake grinned at her, then sobered. "Whoops, incoming!" The White Mage dodged away from the fist of a green, monstrous humanoid creature with long pink hair draping its body. "A Troll? Since when are THOSE native to Melmond?"

"They're not." Mary smashed its fist with her hammer, and the Troll recoiled, bellowing. "One of the other Fiends probably sent it as soon as the barrier went down… if Lich's asking for reinforcements, he's not looking forward to this."

"Good." Luke finished the troll off. "We need every advantage we can get. Let's keep going." They continued down the darkened halls, slaying several more Trolls, until at the end of the path a pair of ornate steel doors stood in their way… along with two humongous, jade-skinned Giants who loomed over the Light Warriors.

"The last guard, huh… figures it's nasty." Vlad raised his hands, and blue magic formed around him. "I hate to use a spell of this level before Lich, but it's better than the wounds it would take us to bring these ilk down otherwise." The magic solidified, then burst outward in a spray of two-foot icicles that nailed the two Giants to the wall. Drake whistled.

"Whew… well, so much for THAT. That one should make even Lich sweat."

"Hardly. His magic will probably make mine look like child's play." Vlad glared at the doors. "But in conjunction with the three of you… well, we've come this far. Time to test ourselves-and the prophecy-for real." Mary passed out healing potions, and they all drank deeply.

"Everybody ready, then?" Luke asked once they had finished. The other three nodded silently, and the Fighter grinned. "Right. Let's kill us a Fiend." Stepping forward, he kicked the doors open and advanced, the others formed around him.

The room was filled with stalactites and stalagmites, pointed spires of stone rising from the floor and ceiling, but a narrow path threaded through them from the door to an altar of the same black basalt that the Vampire's throne had been made of. On the altar was a sphere of rock the exact same size as the Orbs; orange, with milky white lines running through it.

"Sardonyx." Vlad identified the stone. "It's considered a gem by some dwarves."

"I wonder if…" Drake drew out his Orb. "Thought so…" The crystal sphere was glowing now, the same color as the sphere on the altar. Suddenly, with a startlingly loud noise, the sphere cracked open, and a black gas began emerging from it. It grew, expanded, becoming larger and larger until the shape towered over them, then changed, becoming a deep purple… robes, enclosing something that was vaguely humanoid. First one hand, then another slowly reached out, fleshless bones like white spiders that reached up and pulled back the hood of the robes, revealing a grinning skull, eye sockets glowing yellow.

"Welcome, Light Warriors… I am the true Fiend of Earth. I am Lich." The monstrosity greeted them as the darkness around him expanded, filling the cavern and washing over the four heroes like a tidal wave. Involuntarily, they all took a step back, shuddering.

"This is… nothing like the Vampire." Mary gasped. "He's the real thing, all right…"

"So, all four of you have gathered here…" The Fiend of Earth looked them over. "Neither the Chaos Knight, nor Astos, nor even my puppet could kill even one of you… a shame. I'll have to do it all myself."

"Actually, Astos got one of us. Me." Drake corrected, eyes narrowing. "I got better, of course. But that's still more than you've been able to do so far… even when you went as low as to send those Green Ogres after my family when I was young. That didn't do jack. So much for the power of the terrible Fiend of Earth, eh?"

"You have a big mouth, pup… you seem to be trying to anger me." Lich replied, skeletal grin still fixed on his face. "But it won't work. 'Went as low?' Such terms don't mean a thing to me. I am no mortal evil, deluding myself that I am in the right… I and my brethren are embodiments of chaos. Despair is our only joy, destruction our only purpose. We exist only to deny you everything that you do, anything that you love… and in that, judging by the hatred with which you look at me, I have succeeded quite admirably, elf pup."

"Drake, no!" Mary yelled, but in vain; the elf, eyes burning, charged at Lich with the Dragon Sword swinging. Even as the skeletal hands shot down to block the blade, though, he turned to look behind him.

"Now, guys!" Drake yelled at Luke and Vlad. "Hit him hard-" He broke off, gasping in pain, as ice crept down the length of the blade to encroach upon his hands and arms. Releasing him with a sneer, Lich turned his attention to Luke, whose silver sword slammed into the Fiend of Earth's shoulder. Apparently unconcerned, Lich responded with a blow from one fist that sent the brawny Fighter flying across the entire length of the cave. Before he could launch a followup blow, though, a flurry of lightning bolts burst out from Vlad's palms and pierced the Fiend of Earth like so many arrows.

"That seems to have worked…" The Black Mage noted, then stared up at a crystal embedded in the ceiling, which had begun glowing before unleashing a pillar of electricity into the hapless Vlad. Reeling and smoking, he fell.

"Brother!" Mary healed him as the other two rose, wincing from their injuries, and Lich laughed, slowly stepping towards them.

"Was THAT the destined power of the Light Warriors?"

"Okay, he's kind of got a point." Luke muttered. "THAT sure didn't work. Got a Plan B, Drake?"

"Possibly." Drake looked at the two Mages, ignoring the advance of the Fiend of Earth. "Remember that one spell Astos used? Fast? Any chance either of you can use it on us?"

"I picked it up in Melmond for this fight, actually." Vlad smiled for just a moment before sobering. "I wanted to hold it in reserve for later in the fight, to surprise him… but it looks like that's not going to be an option. If we don't give him everything we have full force, he'll overwhelm us. Sister, can you distract him?"

"Got it." Mary stepped to the fore. "All right, Lich… let's see if you can do that to me!"

"The woman? The healer?" Lich's eye sockets glowed. "There's only one reason YOU'd be taking the front line!" He fired a spell at the same time as Mary did; hers was a blast of holy light, stronger than any she had summoned before, while his was a sphere of orange light that arced over her shot to strike her in the head. Both hit at the same time, but while Lich actually reeled from the blast, skidding back several steps, Mary did not move at all. Not even to lower her arms from the spell she had cast. She remained frozen, like a statue.

"Is she petrified?" Drake yelled at the Black Mage. "Like those Cocatrices?"

"No, she's just paralyzed." Vlad growled, finishing his own casting. "The Hold spell… hopefully she'll be able to break it, but until then we'll have to fight without her. Not good."

"And we'll have to shield her too… great." Luke grunted, then charged. "Guess we'll just have to be that good!" He and Drake charged, blades swinging, and when Lich tried to intercept them this time, they leaped and actually bounced off of the skeletal hands, slashing like whirlwinds and landing four strikes in four seconds to the enemy's shoulders and head before flying past him. "Ha! How's that work for ya?"

"Not bad… but not good enough!" Lich's head whirled around to grin at them, then belched a cloud of green gas that they both recognized as the Sleep spell. Both warriors leaped back to avoid it, then glanced at each other.

"Again?" Drake queried, and Luke nodded.

"Oh yeah!" As soon as the cloud had faded, they both jumped forward again, the same way as before.

"No, you idiots!" Vlad yelled from the other side of Lich. "He used it too! He used Fast!"

"What?!" Luke gulped as he saw the Fiend of Earth's glowing eyes focusing on him as the stronger threat. "Aw, no…"

"Like I said, boys… NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Skeletal hands shot out, fingers extended like blades, and slammed into Luke's body time and time again, smashing him backwards against the far wall to hang limply for a moment before falling, bleeding from a dozen places. Drake landed with the Mages again, strikes on Lich ignored.

"Oh man… now what?"

"We hold him off until Mary can heal him." Vlad decided.

"An intelligent plan, but I'm afraid I don't feel like playing along!" Lich stepped back towards Luke. "Once your leader dies, the rest of you will fall all the easier!"

"We were talking to you, abomination." The Black Mage growled, releasing the massive spray of icicles that had obliterated the two Giant doormen. "Your turn, idiot, and try to actually hurt him!"

"I've got an idea along that regard, actually…" Drake charged again as the icicles punched through Lich's cloak, forcing the gigantic skeleton to stop as he hunched forward in pain. As the elf reached him, he struck-but not with his sword. Instead, it was the Orb he held that he slammed into Lich, and as he did, the orange glow that had been sullenly filling it changed, becoming a blinding white. And Lich screamed.

"Get AWAY!" Whirling, he backhanded Drake furiously, then repeated with his other hand before the elf was flung beyond his grasp. Drake rolled along the ground, but when he rose, he was grinning.

"How about that… it worked." Where the Orb had touched Lich, a hole was burned through both sides of the nebulous purple cloak, charred and smoking and refusing to close as other injuries had. "This is the Orb of Earth… the most holy object of the element in existence. And it looks like it's got more purpose just to identify me… seems you can't bear the touch of it. Isn't that a shame?" The Orb's glow had dimmed again, but the wound in Lich spoke of the power it held. Lich's eyes dimmed, then glowed again, even stronger.

"Enough play, then…" He raised his hands, and above Drake and Vlad, the roof of the cavern began to melt, glowing brighter and hotter… and then it fell upon them, molten lava. And they screamed, but though Drake's was pained, Vlad's howl was frenzied, insane, as he burned. "Ha ha ha… do you like the touch of fire, Vlad? I should hope so… you'll be seeing it much, much more before long. Even if it's me that kills you, Kary's made me promise to drag your corpse to her so she can have it… so she can have YOU, Vlad. She has such interesting plans for you, little mage…"

"Shut up…" Icy magic from Vlad washed over them both, cooling the lava. "That won't happen… you'll never kill us. Not if you keep making amateur mistakes like that. Haven't you noticed anything?"

"What do you…" Lich broke off as he realized that his lava had only hit two of them-Mary was gone. He turned, but not in time, as Luke ran up his back, smashing blows through him the entire way, finishing with his head as he leapt past.

"Thanks for the heal, Mary!" The Fighter grinned as he landed back with his comrades. Around Lich, the White Mage ran from behind him, smiling as well.

"No problem-oof!" She grunted as Lich's foot smashed into her, kicking her once, twice, three times in succession as she passed.

"You got around me when I wasn't looking like that once, woman… but not twice!" Lich's skull righted itself from the unnatural angle Luke's final strike had bent it on. "So you're all back in the game now… it won't help you. You can't keep going forever… but I CAN."

"Anybody got any other ideas?" Luke puffed, breathing heavily. Mary and Vlad glanced at each other, then nodded.

"It worked on the Vampire…" Mary started, both of their hands glowing.

"Let's see how YOU like burning, undead!" Vlad shouted, as fire magic and holy magic blasted outwards, mixing into one powerful stream that ran Lich straight through the chest, emerging from his back to scour the wall of the Earth Cave behind him, barely missing the altar. "YES! Go!" Nodding, Luke and Drake dashed forward, swords swinging.  
"You don't learn!" Lich gloated, head snapping up as his hands flashed out, catching the swords and hurling the two warriors by them into the sides of the cave. A slight puff of smoke rose from where the silver sword had been held, but he showed no signs of feeling the pain. "Nothing you can do will avail you against me! NOTHING!"

"Bull!" Drake yelled as Mary healed him. "We SAW that go through you!"

"Perhaps… but seeing isn't always believing." Lich grinned, pulling the front of his robe open, exposing his rib cage… or what was left of it. A massive hole, two feet in diameter, had punched through the bones and charred those around it that had remained. In the center of the Fiend's chest, however, blazing orange energy glowed. "It hurt… I'll admit it." His fixed grin leered at them, eyes glowing stronger than ever. "My chest feels like it's been ripped apart."

"Shit… even that didn't do it?" Luke wondered, rising, healed as well. "How do we win this?" He turned as Mary bent over, pale. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." The White Mage smiled, standing back up. "I'm okay."

"Hey, don't joke around." Drake told her. "Spill it, what's-oh, no." From Lich's maw, a massive fireball erupted, blasting them all. Luke attempted to stand in front, taking as much of the blast as possible, but it was impossible to shield them fully. And once it was gone, the Fighter fell onto one knee, armor smoking. "Damn you…" Drake charged again, and Lich sneered.

"How many times must you-ah!" The Fiend of Earth's jaw dropped as green light washed over him from Vlad's hands. "Slow… like you used on Astos? You DARE use the same tactics on me that you did with that garbage?"

"Scum is scum… high-powered scum is still scum." Vlad snorted. "And that takes care of your Fast for the moment."

"Something which I can take advantage of!" Drake parried the descending skeletal hands with his blade and thrust the Earth Orb into the Fiend of Earth again, causing Lich to howl in pain. This time, after slamming the Orb through the robes, Drake reached upward, seeking bone and finding it. Lich's answering strike that smashed him away was too late; creaking, the Fiend of Earth limped to one side as his right thighbone dissolved. Drake stood again as Mary finished healing Luke. "What does THAT feel like, eh, big guy?"

"Pathetic mortal…" Lich glared at him. "Don't get confident, whelp… this doesn't increase your chances by one bit! Look at yourselves!" Drake did so, and winced; despite Mary's repeated healings of them, they were all on the verge of exhaustion, leaning over and breathing heavily. The Fiend of Earth's relentless strikes had taken their toll on all four Light Warriors, and the White Mage who had kept them alive seemed the most stricken of them all, skin an ashen grey as she struggled to keep her grip on her silver hammer. "Your attempts to keep yourselves upright despite my strength have limits, but mine do not." The glow in the Fiend of Earth's eyes glittered sickly down at them. "The difference is obvious… as is the final result. Despite all your efforts… you will die. And nothing you do can change that."

"Not even this?" Drake raised the Orb of Earth. "You put up a good show… but you're not invincible. You're not as fast as you were when we started this, and that slap of yours wasn't as bad as the first one you hit me with. Every time we hit weakens you, even if they can't kill… and this DOES hurt you. Bad. You're not immortal… we can win this. We WILL win this." Hearing his words, the other three Light Warriors smiled as well.

"That's the spirit, buddy." Luke brandished his sword. "We're not dead yet!"

"Your enthusiasm remains undiminished…" Vlad straightened up. "Yet, it's not as annoying as usual, for some reason."

"We won't give up… no matter what you do." Mary smiled fearlessly. "Nothing you can do will make us stop!"

"IS THAT SO?" Lich roared, hurling a sphere orange light straight at Drake. "Try to move, then… try to fight back!" Drake froze, paralyzed by the Hold spell, and Lich laughed. "What happened to your words of bravado, little elf? Where are they now? And where is your Orb of Earth? Go on, try to hit me with it again!" Drake's eyes twitched, but his body remained stiff. "As I thought! I'll put you out of your misery now, then… and without you holding the Orb of Earth, your friends have no chance left at all!" From the Fiend of Earth's hands, a spray of icicles flew out, two feet in length and sharp as spears. Though the range extended to all four Light Warriors, the greatest concentration was aimed at Drake, and he could only watch, frozen, as they flew towards him… and were intercepted by another, wearing robes of white.

"NO!" Vlad howled as he was struck too, sent flying by the skewers, one of them sweeping his ever-present hat off as he went down. Luke, too, was struck back, grunting as the ice knocked him flat. Only Drake was unharmed, staring frozen at the White Mage who had stepped in front of him, in the path of the skewers.

"You… why?" The elf murmured as the Hold spell shattered, catching Mary as she fell back limply.

"I'm… sorry." She whispered. "I'm… through. Gave it all I could, healed you all every time… but I'm out of magic. Only enough… for one more spell. After that… I'd be useless. And… I owe you for Astos. Now… we're even." She raised her hands to the Fiend of Earth, coughing up blood. "Please… stop him. Don't give up… don't let him win. Destroy him. Help Luke… help my brother… I'm counting on you." One last time, the most powerful holy magic any of them had ever seen flashed out, and this time, Lich reeled back like they had under his assault. The Fiend of Earth recoiled, hands covering his face, and with a sigh, the life faded from Mary's eyes. Slowly, Drake placed her down on the ground, then looked at his companions. Luke and Vlad were both standing back up, shaking off the wounds they had received.

"Last chance, then… we're gonna have to finish it this time." Luke muttered, covered in his own blood. "Any ideas?"

"One." Drake replied, voice cold as ice. "I think I know a way to win. It's a gamble, but it's the only thing I can think of."

"Then we'll do it." Vlad decided, face bowed into the collar of his robes as he looked down at the body of his sister. "Let's hear it."

"Keep him off me." Drake looked at the crouching Fiend of Earth. "Just for a few seconds… and we've gotta do it now, before he recovers. Ready?"

"As we'll ever be." Luke drew up his sword, and fire formed around Vlad's hands.

"Let's go."

"Right." With them on either side of him, Drake rushed forward, faster than either as he bore down on Lich.

"What?!" The Fiend of Earth's eye sockets stared at the suicidal-seeming elf as he bore down, but when his hands descended, silver sword and fiery blast met them, forcing them back. Drake did not attack, however; he simply continued on, running through the hole made in the Fiend of Earth's robes by his earlier touch of the Orb. Snarling, Lich struck both Fighter and Black Mage with electricity, and they crumpled. Behind him, Drake had reached the back wall of the room, and as Lich turned, his steps carried him up it.

"You know… I didn't think it was possible for me to hate you even more than I already did." The elf informed his foe almost conversationally as he backflipped towards his skull. "I was wrong." Landing on his enemy's shoulders, the elf struck with his sword, slashing again and again under Vlad's still-present Fast spell. Lich ripped at him with skeletal hands, but Drake remained in place, striking again and again until he finally knocked the skull away, flying off of the Fiend of Earth's body.

"Fool, did you think that would kill me?" Lich's ever-present grin leered as the skull floated up, and his hands continued to tear into the Thief like knives. But still Drake remained in place, standing over the now-empty neck socket, and raising his other hand… the one that held the Orb of Earth.

"No." Drake grinned weakly, despite the horrible wounds. "I thought this would." And with a scream of hatred, he hurled the Orb of Earth down into the nebulous orange energy that filled the Fiend of Earth's ribs. Lich's skull froze, jaw hanging down, as the orange light was eclipsed by shining brown, coursing through him and evaporating the purple robes like smoke. His arms fell, limp and powerless, as the brown light became stronger, shining through his skeletal body like it was but a thin lampshade.

"An undying will…" Lich gasped, stricken. "No… it was true…" The light in his eyes became pale, sickly, as his skull was pulled back to rejoin his body. At the last second, it picked up speed, knocking Drake off of his shoulders to rejoin the others. "You… are real. The Light Warriors… Tiamat was right… but…" As the brown light reached up to the skull, one last cloud of blackness formed in his hanging jaw. "Do not think this is over… three more Fiends still remain. I was but the first… they still await you. And when I leave… I will take something with me." The cloud shot out, separating into four black spheres that slammed into all of their heads, even the inert Mary. "Goodbye, Light Warriors… may my brethren cause to you all the pain I have, and ten times as much again!" And then the bones themselves were filled with the surging brown light, and they became the light as well, last of all being the skull of Lich, charred black by the surging energy, but still grinning to the last. Once it was gone, the light began to collapse, condensing inward, until only a crystalline sphere remained… the Orb of Earth, now glowing with that same brown light.

"We… did it." Drake slowly stood, wincing. "We… won, guys."

"Whoda… thunk it." Luke groaned, remaining flat on the ground. "I'm still alive… technically. Can't walk, though."

"Same here." Vlad grunted, face down. "Now what? Any more… ideas? You seem to be getting them right… for once."

"Let's try this, then…" Drake stumbled towards the Orb of Earth and pulled it down out of the air, then advanced on the altar in the back. "This looks significant. The Fiend of Earth is slain… let the earth be healed." He placed the Orb of Earth onto the altar, and the light changed, becoming blinding white. The Light Warriors winced, covering their eyes. Around them, they felt shaking… a massive rumbling that tore through the room around them. "Aw geez, a quake? You can't be serious… after everything we've been through, we're going to die like this?!"

"Not at all, young man…" A new voice disagreed. "Such would be most ungracious of me." The light faded, and all three stared at the man standing before them. He was wearing green robes, of the same style Lich's had been, and the hair on his head was an earthy brown. Behind a pair of spectacles, his face looked young, but something in his eyes spoke of age beyond imagining. "Thank you, Light Warriors… today, you have done your names proud."

"Who are you?" Drake wondered, and the strange man chuckled.

"A name? Well… I suppose the closest would be Earth. Call me that, I guess."

"Earth?" Luke blinked. "Wait a second… are you… Lich?"

"No." Earth firmly denied. "I am everything Lich was not… the opposite of everything he stood for. I ceased to exist when he came into power, and when you destroyed him, I returned. It was shorter this time than usual… because instead of waiting for his power to wane to the point where I could take control again, he was overwhelmed by a power greater than his. Rise, friends… those wounds of yours aren't necessary now. Especially those of this brave woman." Earth smiled, and the three Light Warriors felt their wounds close and their strength return.

"What… happened?" Mary's eyes opened, her dreadful injuries vanishing as well. "This isn't Melmond… what is-oh my." She stood as well, staring at Earth. "You're the Element of Earth, aren't you?"

"Exactly. Your faith in your friends was well-founded… they succeeded." Earth gazed over them all, and was proud. "No matter what Lich did to you, no matter how much power he unleashed in your paths, you continued on… as I knew you would. An undying will, to heal the heart of Earth… in that regard, mister Drake, you were strongest of all." Drake stared.

"What? No, I'm…"

"He's not talking about physical strength." Mary explained. "He's saying of us all, you were the one who refused to give up, most of all… and he's right. You didn't even stop to think of what you called your weakness this time… you kept on him, no matter what happened, and we all followed you."

"They're right." Luke grinned, sheathing his sword. "You were good, bud… don't sell yourself short. You won this one, more than any of us."

"Well, it WAS prophesized." Vlad frowned. "Even so… you didn't screw up this time. My hat's off to you." Drake blinked, noticing that the Black Mage's face was clearly visible for the first time. It would have been handsome, but for the massive black pouches under his eyes and the wasted, sunken cheeks.

"Vlad…" The elf grinned. "Nice joke. What was it you said after Astos capped me… oh yes. There may be some hope for you yet."

"Somebody's been telling stories, I see." Vlad glanced at his sister. "Ah well, there are worse crimes." Bending down, he retrieved his hat and placed it back on his head, obscuring his features once more.

"Indeed." Earth chuckled, then sobered. "You have done well today, my friends… but your tasks are not yet complete. The other three Fiends still remain, and of them all, I must admit… Lich was clearly the weakest."

"You're joking." Drake accused, grin vanishing. "Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm afraid not… you saw for yourself." Earth shook his head. "That plate that I placed here, when I felt Kraken overtake Water, and knew that me and Fire were lost as well… I used the last of my power to create it, and it worked, sealing him away in here."

"You did that?" Mary blinked. "Well, that explains why it was such a powerful magic…"

"Indeed. And confined here, Lich's power was weakened as well." Earth finished. "The other Fiends have been under no such restrictions. They will come at you in the full aura of their power. And I will be unable to halt that, newly recreated as I am… my own power is still dim. It will take me time to return to my full strength."

"And we don't have that time." Luke realized. "The other Fiends will know we're serious now. They'll be ready for us, and the longer we wait, the more time we give them to prepare."

"Exactly… but you've risen so far in so little time already, remember." Earth polished his glasses, smiling again. "I think you can do it… and so do my brother and sisters, though they remain unrisen. We're counting on you."

"Then we should get to Crescent Lake, and fast." The Fighter decided. "More than ever, now we need to convene with the Sages… and there's another Fiend there too, isn't there?"

"Kary, Fiend of Fire." Earth confirmed. "Now then… shall I send you back to the surface, or was there anything else?"

"I thought there was something, but I can't remember…" Drake frowned, thinking. "Something having to do with the Orbs… but I can't remember. Guys?"

"I'm drawing a blank too." Luke admitted. "I remember there being something too, but I can't think of what it was. Sorry." The Mages spread their hands as well, and Drake sighed.

"Oh well."

"Don't worry… any time you remember it, you can speak with me again using this." Picking the Orb of Earth off of the altar, the Element handed it to Drake. Now, it was glowing faintly white, all traces of the gloom that had filled it before gone. "Or on anything else…my power may be weak still, but my knowledge of the earth is yours any time you wish it. Just hold the Orb and think of me, and my voice will be there." Drake nodded, pocketing the Orb once more.

"All right… we'll keep that in mind."

"Good… any way I can help you, I'd be glad to." Earth smiled. "Now then, let's send you on your way… I believe I've got a bit of cleanup to do in my house, and you've got your journey ahead of you." The earthen ceiling above them opened up, revealing the sky far, far above, and with a thought the Element sent them through it, through the ground and to the world above once more. "Good luck, friends… and thank you again." Once they were all clear, the earth closed.

"Well." Luke looked around at the bright blue sky. "That seems to be it… shall we head back?"

----------------------------

The trip back to Melmond City was much more pleasant for the Light Warriors than their previous wanderings throughout the country beforehand; in the wake of Lich's demise, the customary paranoia of the monsters following such events was present in such magnitude that a pack of Ogres, upon sighting them, immediately ran shrieking guttural pleas for mercy and did not stop until they had vanished on the horizon. Even more apparent was the countryside itself; already, the dead swamps were drying up, reverting back into the healthy fields that had characterized Melmond long ago. When they returned to the big City itself, they immediately saw that each and every one of the buildings was now completely level and upright. Before they could notice much more, however, loud cheers filled their ears, and the populace of the city surged out to welcome their saviors back.

"It's okay… really. Just doing our job, is all… no thanks necessary." Luke waved them down good-naturedly, without much success. "We'd just like to find our friend… where is Bikke, anyways?"

"Probably down at the docks… it's a bit early for him to be hitting the pubs." Drake winced. "Yeesh. Normally I'd like this sort of thing, but these folks are a bit TOO into it… sorry, ma'am, I'm already taken…"

"Same here." Mary quickly informed an overeager young man, causing her brother to stare at the two of them before shaking his head and firmly moving another civilian to the side. Slowly, taking care not to harm anybody, the Light Warriors made their way down to the docks and soon located Bikke and Mr. Smite, who were sitting under a tree conversing with a slim, scholarly looking Melmondian man of middle years.

"Arr, there ya are! We was wonderin' when ya'd get back! Hoy, Unne, there're the ones!" Their companion adjusted his glasses fussily.

"Bikke, please, it's NOT 'we was'-wait, what? These are…" He got to his feet and quickly bowed. "The Light Warriors… an honor to meet you. I am Dr. Unne… the world's foremost scholar in linguistics. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"Afraid not, but any friend of Bike's a friend of ours!" Drake replied cheerfully. Unne looked a bit disappointed.

"You haven't heard of Dr. Unne? Alas… ah well. I was just conversing with Bikke on a matter I broached with him some time ago… as you have undoubtedly gathered from the time you have spent with him, he and his fellows have a tendency to come across valuable treasures through various means unavailable to myself. There is one such rumored artifact that I have been yearning to acquire for quite some time, and thus have promised Bikke a grand payment if he chances to acquire it… unfortunately, so far no such luck."

"Shame." Mary agreed. "What is it, may I ask? Perhaps we'll run into it…"

"A slab of stone, of Merfolk origin… through contact with the Lefeinish civilization, they apparently managed to decipher their language and transcribed it onto said stone." Dr. Unne explained. "Unfortunately, since the rise of the Fiend of Water, all contact with the Merfolk has been lost…" He blinked. "Wait a moment… you're going to do something about that beastly Kraken as well, aren't you? You did succeed in slaying Lich, after all…"

"That's the idea." Luke confirmed. "We'll keep an eye out, and if we end up running into the Merfolk, we'll ask them about it."

"I would appreciate it greatly." Unne bowed again. "I won't be keeping you, then… I'm sure your attention is needed elsewhere. Until our hopeful reunion in the future!" Turning, he bustled away through the crowds.

"A bit booky, but he's a nice chap." Bikke watched the doctor leave. "Helps us whenever we got somethin' that needs readin'. So then, I'm guessin' yer ready to head off?"

"If you don't mind." Luke agreed, dodging a rushing fan. "This is a bit too hectic… we'd like to get on our way and out of here."

"Sounds like a plan." Mr. Smite agreed. "This is reminding me a bit too much of a tavern brawl, so it might be best to leave before we forget ourselves and start bludgeoning these people. I doubt you'd be very happy with us."

"Yeeaaaah, that WOULD kind of mess with our 'saviors of the world' image just a bit." Drake laughed. "Right then, back on board we go!" They boarded the _Amphitrite_ and sailed out from the harbor, still trailing grateful citizens, some of which went so far as to swim out after the ship.

"Devoted." Bikke noted, watching them flounder around. "Hope we don't have to use the boarding pikes or nothin'. Right then, I'm guessin' we keep goin' to Crescent Lake now?"

"You got it." Luke slumped against the rail. "Hope we're all healed up by the time we get there… Lich really did a number on us."

"Yeah, well, we should have expected as much." Drake shrugged. "Still, we won it in the end… and we've got a new buddy now. Looks to me like things came out pretty good. Think Sarda's gone already?"

"I'm sure of it." Vlad looked to the east. "He's probably already halfway to Crescent Lake, ready to warn the other Sages of our approach."

"Wonder how he's getting there… maybe he had the Titan throw him." The elf joked.

"Oh, ya met the Titan too, didja?" Bikke took his customary position at the wheel. "Yah, he's an okay chap if ya know how to deal with him. Not too bright, but get on his good side and he can be friendly enough, 'specially if ya got a ruby necklace on hand that ya thought looked ugly as meself in the morning already." All four Light Warriors stared at him.

"What… how… you know…" Vlad stammered, then threw his hands up in disgust. "Forget it. I'm going below to read something before I reopen my wounds." He stalked off, muttering to himself.

"Do you know EVERYbody?" Luke shook his head in stunned amazement, and the grizzled old pirate winked.

"Haven't met many Lefeinish folks yet, I'll admit, though the longer I hang out with you folks the more I start to figger that just might wind up changin' one of these days."

"Maybe." Mary smiled slyly. "We met an interesting fellow ourselves a few days back… we'll probably introduce you to him eventually. I think you'll get along."

"He ain't still off in that direction?" Bikke glanced back at Melmond, then shrugged. "Well, sure then… I'm always up fer meetin' more folks." Drake smiled as well, glancing at the faintly glowing Orb of Earth in his pack.

"I'm sure you'll find it fun… this guy's out of this world, believe me."


	8. Chapter 7: The Prophet Looked At Me

**_Chapter 7: The Prophet Looked And He Laughed At Me_**

From three of the four corners of the Temple of Fiends, three beings emerged slowly, creeping through the darkness. Empty even of the undead now, it held nothing to attract their notice as they crept through the halls. At the exact same moment, all three arrived in the central chamber, where they silently regarded each other for some time before one of them spoke.

"Well, brethren… do you still think they are not to be taken seriously?" Tiamat, Fiend of Air, inquired scathingly. "Or perhaps we should ask Lich his opinion on the matter now?"

"All right, don't belabor it, Tiamat." Kraken, Fiend of Water, muttered sullenly. "You were right, we were wrong, we get it. What I don't understand is HOW it happened. Despite that stupid prophecy, they were still mortals. How could ANY such as they slay Lich?"

"It's not as though we're invincible as THAT, Kraken." Kary, Fiend of Fire, sighed, occasional flames shining through the darkness surrounding her. "We've passed before… reverted back to our opposites when we grow weak. All they did was accelerate that… much in the same way mine and Lich's latest turnings were accelerated by yours and Tiamat's control. I think we've found the source of that prophecy."

"What?" Kraken gasped, recoiling. "You mean… our opposites? Impossible! They don't exist right now… it's them or us! When we're here, they have no power at all!"

"Don't be so simpleminded, Kraken." Kary sneered. "Remember how Lich was imprisoned through the last actions of HIS opposite before the last turning? That one's power remained even after his downfall. They could very well have put this into play during the last time all four of them were together, before Tiamat turned, and it's only hitting us now."

"You may very well have hit on it, sister mine." Tiamat agreed. "Congratulations… you've found your brain again. I was beginning to forget how intelligent you truly were when you bothered to try."

"I was sleepy before." Kary shrugged, not offended by the insult. "Lich's death certainly woke me up, though… I have no intention of letting them follow suit with me. I wouldn't get to play with that one who dreams of me if they did. And I've put too much time into him to allow that to happen."

"Of course, that's the only reason anybody would ever want to avoid getting killed." Kraken rolled his eyes, and Kary scowled.

"I haven't seen you use YOUR brain lately, Kraken. Why don't you either contribute something worth listening to, or shut up?"

"Gladly." Kraken replied drily. "Consider, then… we still don't know the POINT of the prophecy and all this mess. As long as we figured on it being only the mortals, we could assume that they just want us gone as soon as possible, not realizing that we would return in time, just like before. If our opposites are responsible, though…they're smarter than that. And that leaves the question of just what they're trying to accomplish. What their purpose is in doing all of this."

"You think there's more to this than it seems?" Kary demanded. "More than just trying to kill us?"

"I do." Kraken confirmed. "What do you say, Tiamat?" The Fiend of Air slowly nodded, pleased that both her remaining brethren were back up to their full capacities now.

"It may very well be so… it's too early to say for sure, but it could definitely be something like that. All the more reason to prepare for the worst… in case all of our efforts come to naught, and we end up falling like Lich did. As it so happens, I was already preparing for this, even before this happened."

"Yes, yes, we know." Kraken rolled his eyes. "You saw them as a true threat, we didn't, we know."

"It was not only I… Lich agreed with me about the potential threat of the Light Warriors." Tiamat informed them smugly. "That turned out to be quite fortunate, since what I've got planned requires all four of us to contribute… since he agreed with me on it, as soon as his full power was released, he immediately channeled the necessary portion of it. With any luck, his opposite will be too groggy to notice it until it's too late, as will ours if we follow his fate."

"You've managed to arouse my curiosity, Tiamat." The Fiend of Fire admitted, raising an eyebrow. "I thought I noticed something on my way here, but I couldn't be sure… let me see…" She blinked. "Oho… so, it's THAT?" She turned to regard the Black Orb, which sat motionless as always, showing no signs of noticing their presence. Tiamat nodded.

"Exactly. If we all allocate equal portions of our power to it now, then there will be a contingency even if the prophecy becomes true and we are all slain by those four. It never hurts to be careful, after-" She broke off and stared at the entrance to the room. "What the-!"

"Oh, I'm sorry… was this a private party?" The Element of Earth, covered in a thin white fog, walked into the room. "And here I thought anybody could attend… oh well, a crasher I am. At least I dressed appropriately."

"You're pushing your luck, fool!" Kraken hissed angrily. "Do you really want to try your power against all three of us?"

"Please." Earth yawned theatrically. "This far from our centers of power, none of us could really do much to each other. It'd just be showing off… you can't keep me out of here. Your own domiciles, surely, but not this place… it belongs to all of us equally, no matter which side of the turnover we're currently on. Don't think you can order me around just because the numbers are currently in your favor, Fiend… I have reason to believe that may be changing soon."

"Aren't we the bold one." Kary's eyes flashed. "How interesting. Even if it's just showing off, it might be amusing to do so for some time… keep on pushing it and it could happen quite easily, Element. I'd enjoy it."

"Enough, Kary." Tiamat drew herself up rather stiffly and glared at Earth. "If you'll insist on hanging around, we may as well take our leave… we're certainly not going to discuss our affairs with you around to hear and report back to those mortals you've leashed yourself to."

"At least a dog can count on not having to scrounge for roadkill." Earth returned. "If you're leaving, then, this place has seen better days… I think I'll tidy it up a bit." Producing a feather duster out of nowhere, he began waving it around the walls, humming. After staring for a few moments, the three remaining Fiends left, muttering to themselves irritably.

----------------------------

The seas were as riotous as ever, waves throwing the _Amphitrite_ around like a toy boat as it sat anchored off the southern coast of Elfland, on its way to Crescent Lake. As uncaring as ever, the crew of the pirate vessel were slumbering under the full moon, with only a drowsy watchman remaining technically awake in case of attack from Sahagin or worse. Him, and one other, who sat on the rail of the ship, feet dangling into the salty spray.

"Damn it all… it doesn't help." Vlad muttered, still remembering the painful clarity of the nightmare that had roused him on this evening, identical to all the rest. He knew that even if he were to go so far as to hurl himself bodily into the icy waters below, he would still feel the horrible sensation of the flames consuming his body, searing into him with a pain that promised to never go out, to never end. Sighing, he removed his hat and looked out over the ocean's expanse. "What was I thinking… if casting Ice on myself wouldn't stop the feeling, this certainly wouldn't help."

"I still say that's number one on your list of boneheaded moves, brother." A voice behind him caused him to look over to Mary, sitting up from where she had been sleeping and smiling with just a hint of amusement. "As I'm sure you remember Merton explaining to you at some length after he thawed you. And it was your own fault if that just made it worse-you were the one who did that to yourself."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Vlad grumbled, now irritated at himself for waking his sister. "Fortunately, things haven't gotten quite that bad on this journey until now, although that one shortly after we first met Bikke that alerted the other two to my condition certainly came close."

"Until now?" The White Mage spotted, sounding worried. "Tonight was… that bad, then?"

"Yes." Vlad admitted. "I thought I had succeeded in keeping my noise level down regardless this time, but it seems I inadvertently awakened you nonetheless. My apologies."

"Don't apologize." Mary stood and walked over to sit on the rail next to him. "It wasn't that… I woke up all by myself, only a few minutes ago. It's not your fault, so don't act like it is."

"Really… well, I suppose that's one time, at least." He started to put his hat back on, but his sister's hand stopped him.

"Don't do that, either." She told him firmly. "I already know what your face looks like… I won't forget it no matter how long you wear that thing."

"I don't suppose the others will either, now that they've seen me without it." Vlad glanced back at the sleeping Drake and Luke, face even more withered than it had been after Lich's assault. Mary frowned.

"Stop that. Neither of them care about that sort of thing, and you know it."

"Perhaps." Vlad admitted. "I suppose Drake wouldn't judge me on that, even if he did on other things. And Luke's not bright enough to do anything at all like the sort." Mary's smile reappeared.

"There you go. If you're going to insist on insulting them, at least insult them accurately." She giggled slightly, then sobered. "So it was another really bad one tonight, then?"

"Yes. There was lava involved… it's been a while since that happened." Vlad scowled. "If I thought I could, I'd revive Lich and kill him again just for putting that into my head."

"That was dirty." Mary agreed.

"And it's only going to get worse, soon… much worse." The Black Mage looked out to the east, and his sister slowly nodded.

"That's right… we're going to Crescent Lake… the domain of the Fiend of Fire. Kary."

"And we've confirmed that we can kill the Fiends… which means there won't be any reason not to go after her. We'll have to do it. And we'll have to go into her domain… into the Gurgu Volcano. Where the lava will be the least of my worries." Vlad began to shake.

"It'll be okay." The White Mage tried to assure him. "We've come though everything so far… we'll make it through this as well." Her brother turned to look at her fearfully, all of his defenses and cynicism completely gone, revealing stark terror.

"Mary… what if I can't do it?"

"What? What do you mean?" She pleaded ignorance, hoping he would forget it, but it would not be dissuaded so easily.

"What if I try, try as hard as I can to go forward, to go in with you to that… place… but I can't? If what's happened to me just makes me freeze up, unable to move forward, no matter how hard I try?"

"That won't happen." Mary shook her head. "You're stronger than that… you can overcome this."

"Remember how long it took me to learn even the most rudimentary Fire spell?" Vlad continued rambling. "I picked up Lightning and Sleep easily, but Fire took me forever… no matter what Merton told me, I was too afraid of the flames to direct my own will into summoning them. I only did it in the end by focusing on creating them away from me, by pushing them out…"

"But you did it." Mary seized on that. "You came up against that barrier, yes, but you overcame it in the end. You beat it. You can beat this, Vlad… I know you can. When you truly give them your all, you can summon forth emotions stronger than your fear. You did it before, and you can do it again."

"Do you really think so?" The Black Mage whispered, voice as quiet and light as it had been when he had been years younger. "Do you really think I can do that?"

"I know you can." Mary fought down her impulse to hug him, knowing that her brother disliked human touch and that in his current state, even the slight increase of another body's heat might drive him further into panic. Instead, she simply held his hand and sat down on the rail next to him. "Remember how many times we grew sick of our training? Threw up our hands and said we'd never be able to learn magic, never become the Light Warriors? But here we are now… months on the journey, good friends with the other two, one Fiend under our belt, and sailing with the most…" She groped for a word. "Unique… crew in the world."

"That's an accurate way of describing Bikke, I suppose." Vlad chuckled a little, relaxing slightly. Mary smiled and went for a joke, hoping to ride his show of humor further.

"I wonder if we could figure out some way to fireproof this ship and launch it into the volcano. I imagine even Kary would be taken off guard if this thing came barging in with Bikke on the prow laughing and screaming threats."

"I knew you'd been associating with Drake for too long." Her brother smiled to show her he wasn't serious. "At least your sense of humor hasn't become quite as warped as his." He paused. "Do you really like him that much?"

"Yes, I think I do." Mary admitted. "He's funny and cute and smart, and he's a lot stronger and smarter than he gives himself credit for. He's not even remotely stuck up, and he's open and honest with us. And he likes me back, too. Sorry, bro… looks like you're stuck with it." She smirked. "It had to happen eventually… I assume sooner or later I'll have to learn to get along with whoever you end up with, too. I wonder what kind of girl you'd like?"

"I suppose I should have expected this." Vlad grumbled good-naturedly, the worst of his experience over. Smiling, Mary continued to tease him gently until dawn rose and the ship resumed its travels.

----------------------------

"Right, this is as close as we're gettin' to Crescent Lake." Bikke announced as the _Amphitrite_ neared a peninsula jutting out of the land to their west. They had sailed all the way past the southern border of Elfland, and around the south and east sides of the kingdom named for its most significant geographical feature. "The harbor here's like the one in Elfland… a couple days' walk away from the actual lake and the capital. There's a huge ol' river system runnin' through the mountains in most of this kingdom, but I ain't takin' this old sea cow through THOSE… she'd never make it. This'll just have to do." Luke nodded as they approached the harbor.

"No problem. We haven't forgotten how to walk."

"Didn't figure ya had, matey." Bikke grinned, then changed it to a scowl when he saw the harbor; quite a few men in official-looking uniforms were standing around, watching their approach. "Arrgh, shoulda figured it'd happen sooner or later… me reputation's hauntin' me today. Those fellas know who I am, and they ain't plannin' on lettin' me dock… we'll have to persuade 'em otherwise, the hard way. Grab yer weapons, mateys, we got a fight on our hands!"

"Hold it, hold it!" Drake waved his hands. "Let me at least TRY the nice way first, okay?" Without waiting for a response he dashed to the prow. "Hey, fellas! What's going on here?"

"You would be Drake of the Light Warriors?" The apparent Captain yelled back. "The Circle of Sages have sent us to escort you to Crescent Lake."

"Aha… see, it's a good thing." Drake winked at Bikke, who slowly nodded.

"All right, all right…" The pirate Captain grumbled, steering his ship into the harbor. "I guess it's all well and good. Hey, sarge, we won't be no trouble."

"Bikke the Pirate… we know about your, ah, change of careers." The Captain nodded diplomatically. "The Circle has made us vow not to attack your men as long as we're extended the same courtesy."

"Sounds good. Right, usual deal fellas, we'll be here when ya get back." Bikke shrugged. "Fishin's good around this place, and the water monsters are tougher than most, so the crew won't even get too bored. Have fun stormin' the volcano!"

"That man has a warped sense of humor." Vlad noted as they left the harbor.

"Fun, though." Drake shrugged, looking around. Despite its proximity to a Fiend, Crescent Lake was in nowhere near the state of decay as Melmond had been. It was pleasant and warm, with lush grass and strange, tropical-looking trees. The Guard, clearly experienced, showed them the best ways to deal with the native Trolls and Giants as the zeroed in on the country's namesake; the huge, moon-shaped body of water that lay at its heart.

"It's the largest freshwater body in the world, aside from some inaccessible deposits high in the Onrac Mountains." Mary explained as the four Light Warriors looked across its surface for the first time. "Before the Fiends came, I'm told it was a wondrous place."

"We still kinda like it, missy, even if it's crawling with monsters now." The Captain led them to a metal shack on the east side of the lake. "Now, we COULD just walk all the way around it, but that'd take us another day. Instead, we tend to use these." Entering the shack, the soldiers hauled out what appeared to be several miniature boats, long and narrow with only enough room to fit four people. "These are canoes… it wouldn't be a good idea to take them out into the sea, but for rivers and lakes they're the best way to navigate."

"Hm… looks like they'd be a bit tricky to work, though." Luke noted.

"It's not so bad… we've got four, so one of you can ride in each and we'll show you how it's done." The Captain grinned.

"Why does this feel like a setup?" Drake muttered as they clambered into the canoes and set off. Rowing the tiny boats with the elongated paddles that the soldiers called oars was an interesting experience at first, but to everybody's relief (and Drake's amusement) the only one who was accidentally struck in the head was Luke, who shrugged it off rather easily before returning to his own practice. By the time they reached the city on the lake's west side, the four Light Warriors were hardly experts, but they were competent.

"You wouldn't sink if you were by yourselves, and that's the important thing." The Captain pronounced as they clambered out of the canoes at their destination. Drake nodded, wiping water off of his face.

"Oh well, it was kind of nice to cool down anyways… is it normally this warm around here?" The Captain frowned.

"Not exactly… that's part of what the Sages need to talk with you about. Shall we go?" Turning, he led the way into town.

"Touched a nerve there, didn't I?" The elf muttered. "I'm getting that feeling of impending doom again."

"You just had to say something, didn't you." Vlad grumbled.

"It's a bad habit of mine." Drake admitted as they entered the city. Like most capitals, it was surrounded by a high defensive wall, but thin streams of water ran freely under it in many places. The reason became clear once they were inside; those same streams continued on through the city, alongside and underneath the streets. Fish and waterfowl swam around openly, but no monsters lurked.

"Nice place." Vlad grunted after a moment.

"Yeah…" Luke critically eyed a huge gap in the wall, to the northeast. "Is that really a good idea, though? Shouldn't it be repaired?"

"It's deliberate." The Captain explained. "It leads into a forested clearing where a few certain people reside… people who we all trust to defend that spot, if the need arises. No monster in their right mind would try to sneak in through there."

"The Circle of Sages." Mary realized. "Do they want to see us right away, or can we rest a little first?"

"Well, after your journey from Melmond, they figured you might want a little of that." The Captain smiled. "You've got rooms at that inn right there… feel free to unwind. I'm sure they'll understand." The Light Warriors promptly took his advice, but even after bathing and going to their rooms, none of them were able to truly relax; the heat that they had noticed on the trip over continued to hang over them like a haze, harsh and cloying. Finally, they gave up.

"When we get done with this meeting, I may just hurl myself into the water." Drake muttered as they moved towards the gap in the wall.

"Hrm." Vlad grunted noncommittally. The normally taciturn Black Mage had become even more silent since the onset of the heat, and had barely spoken a single word since their arrival. Mary looked worried, but didn't broach the subject as they left the city proper and continued along a forest path. Then, as they turned a bend, three elderly figures in robes and conical hats became visible; two male, one female.

"Well, well. Look who finally showed up." One of the old men strode forward and knuckled Luke on the head. "You've been making these three do all your thinking for you, haven't you?"

"If Drake was doing the thinking, they never would have made it this far." The woman, an ancient elf, chuckled. "You still picking pockets, kid?"

"Hey, you should just be glad you only had to deal with one each." The other man snorted, looking over the Mages. "I had both of these clowns. Tell me you've been keeping up with your studies."

"All right, that's enough, Lukahn." Luke rolled away from the Sage. "And you would be Vallash and Merton, I assume? The Sages from Elfland and Gaia? Nice to meet you."

"No, I'm not still picking pockets, granny." Drake answered, shaking his head.

"And yes, I'm still keeping up with my studies." Mary glanced at Drake, who winked.

"I suppose we could try swapping out for a few days… you pick pockets, I look at those magic books." Drake suggested.

"It might be interesting." Mary nodded.

"They're joking." Vlad explained to the two Sages, who were beginning to wince. "Sorry, Merton… my sister's developed an unwholesome liking for this rogue."

"I should have figured." Vallash slapped her face. "Oh well, nothing to do for it now, I guess."

"All right, enough fooling around." Lukahn shook his head. "Let's go… the rest of them are waiting for us." Together, the three Sages and four Light Warriors continued on into a huge clearing, where the other Sages awaited. Twelve elders from every culture around the world; Pravoka and Melmond, Onrac and Crescent Lake and the wildlands of Drakyr. There was a dwarf, and even a dragon, as well as two other women in garb none of them recognized. The three others joined them, and all twelve turned to regard the Light Warriors.

"I , Lukahn, Sage of Corneria, call this meeting of the Council of Sages to order." Lukahn intoned formally. "Now, all legends and prophecies will be fulfilled. Our path has been decided." Lukahn stated stiffly, as if in ritual. "The Light Warriors have come to us at last, to seek guidance on their paths. Let us provide it."

"They look a bit scrubby to me." A wild old man in furs, doubtless from Drakyr, scoffed. "You're sure these are the ones?"

"They killed Lich, didn't they?" The dwarven Sage shot back. "Doubt any of US could pull that. I'd say that says it all." He winked at the Light Warriors. "Forgive me temperamental old friend, fellas… Gakath's always trying to start something. I'm Orric, by the way."

"It happens." Drake shrugged. "It's not so much necessary to look tough as it is to actually get the job done, so as long as we can manage that…" Gakath bared his teeth approvingly.

"Well said, elf boy! Yer more than ya look!"

"All right, enough quibbling." The dragon, ten feet tall with iron grey scales, looked down at them. "You have come to receive knowledge from us… we should provide it, then."

"If it's not too much bother." Luke agreed. "You do seem to be the authority on it, what with the prophecy and all."

"Indeed. We, the Twelve Sages, were led here by the stars and the prophecy…" Vallash intoned, then smirked. "And it's probably for a reason, so let's earn our pay, huh?"

"We don't GET paid, Vallash." Another old woman, wearing a blue dress with a fish pattern, remarked with a pained expression.

"We don't? Well then, who do we ask for a raise?" Orric growled, mock-indignant.

"As a matter of fact, I think Drake here might have the answer to that in his pack." Sarda winked at them all. "Drake, why don't you show these quarrelling old coots?" The young elf grinned back.

"If you insist, oh mighty Sage of Melmond…" He drew out the glowing Orb of Earth, and all conversation among the Sages broke off, staring at it.

"That's really it…" The dragon whispered. "I doubted… even after what we all felt, I doubted… but there's no arguing with this. The Orb of Earth shines once more… and there is hope for the others."

"Indeed there is, Macgreyson. Earth, Air, Fire and Water… the world is bound by those four powers." Merton followed up. "These powers, in the form of the Elements, created the world… and only their return can stop its destruction."

"Once, the Orbs shined with the powers of Earth, Fire, Air and Water." A tan-skinned elder wearing the garb of Onrac continued. "The four Fiends control those powers now..." He gave them a direct look. "How much do you know about that?"

"Not too much, in my case." Luke admitted. "I mean, I know that the Fiends and the Elements are opposites and all that, but that's about it…"

"Then perhaps we should start there." A female Sage whose culture none of them recognized spoke, slow and halting. "The Elements… were the kindly forces that created this world. But every few centuries, for reasons unknown, they become evil and transform into the Fiends, who seek to undo everything their opposites strived for. In time, they return to the Elements, and the cycle continues." She paused for a moment. "Four hundred years ago, Air was lost to Tiamat. 200 years later, Water followed suit, turning to Kraken… then Earth and Fire followed, becoming Lich and Kary. The powers that bind this world were gone." She glanced at the woman in the fish-patterned dress, who continued.

"Whenever they rise, these four Fiends are bent on the world's destruction. Evidence of this was seen when Kraken last rose two hundred years ago; the Fiend of Air teamed up with that of Water to destroy civilizations near them." She lowered her head. "The Lefeinish, the Dragonkin, and my kind suffered greatly in those times… although the Dragonkin survive on the Isles of Cardia, their original home is no longer theirs. The majority of my people remain isolated, cut off from the rest of the world. And the only traces of Lefeinish culture remain in the furthest reaches of the land that was once theirs, out of Tiamat's grasp."

"Then…" Mary slowly realized. "You're one of the merfolk, aren't you, madam?" The Sage she addressed nodded.

"Indeed… my name is Darious." She indicated the woman who had spoken before her. "And my friend Lashee here is from Lefein."

"That covers ancient history… now to the present day." Sarda pressed on. "Ever since their last rising, the four fiends have striven to continue their work… to destroy this world. Fortunately, they were constrained in some ways. Lich, by the plate that imprisoned him in his own power… and yet, the Fiend of Earth caused the rot of the land." The Melmondian Sage nodded to another, who wore the same sort of garb many of the citizens of Crescent Lake did. "And with him gone, another is throwing off that which had limited HER… isn't that right, Kalabak?"

"Indeed." The Sage of Crescent Lake nodded grimly. "Before now, Kary was not as much a direct threat to the lands around her as the others… due to her laziness, she spent most of her time in slumber. Lich's death seems to have roused her, though… ever since, we have felt her malignant power increase, taking form. She is awake, and she threatens us all."

"The heat!" Drake snapped his fingers. "She's doing this, isn't she? Driving the temperature up."

"Exactly." Kalabak confirmed. "She has realized your threat, and now the Fiend of Fire intends to lay waste to this country… to burn everything."

"Oh, this is SO not good." Luke groaned. "Monsters are one thing… but if we get grassfires starting all over the place here, we're toast. No joke intended."

"Then we've got no choice." Vlad spoke for the first time during the meeting, voice strained. "We have to stop that. We have to move, and move fast… and destroy Kary before she can do this. There's no time to lose… she has to die, and she has to die now."

"Indeed… that was our conclusion as well." Lukahn admitted. "We had wished to allow you more time here first, but it seems that option is no longer available to us… or to you."

"You can manage it, though." The wildman Gakath assured them. "You've done this before… it's the same deal as Lich. Each element's power focuses at the altar, in the heart of that element on this world. Go there, and crush the Fiend who defiles it... then place the Orb on the altar, and the Element'll wake back up."

"All right then…" Luke decided. "We'll spend today grabbing gear and magic from town, then head out tomorrow… hey, wait a second." He blinked. "Where the heck is Gurgu Volcano anyways?"

"It's up in the mountains, through the river system." Kalabak explained. "The rivers are the only way to reach it."

"Well, uh…" Drake frowned. "We don't exactly have a way to travel those. Unless you expect us to swim, and from what I've heard of the river monsters around here, that would be a bad idea to say the least."

"What, didja think we had you learn how to work a canoe just for kicks?" Orric grinned. "We're givin' ya one for yourselves, and we'll even let ya take it back to that maniac Bikke once yer done. The guard'll give ya the best canoe in town tomorrow, and a map of the river system… that's all ya need to get to the volcano. Once yer there, it's up to you to bring down that Fiend!"

"It's up to you… we're all counting on you, Light Warriors." Macgreyson stated. "Quickly, before all is destroyed, hurry to Gurgu Volcano and stop the Fiend of Fire. The world depends on it."

"That sums it up rather neatly, doesn't it?" Mary sighed, then smiled. "We'll do our best… I guess that's our job. Hopefully we'll return to you again."

"We'll all pray for it." The last of the Sages, a woman in Pravokan garb, promised. "Even now, we have not completely understood the prophecy… as your journey continues, we shall attempt to comprehend its remaining secrets. When you return, perhaps we will be able to tell you more."

"Oh, that's nice, Calin. Just go right ahead and tell them we're incompetent, why don't you." The Onracian Sage muttered.

"No, I'll pass, thanks… but YOU can say it if you want to, Arisham." Calin retorted.

"We'll be heading back to town, then." Luke sighed. "We'd better hit the shops, then, and do our best to rest up… looks like we've got no time to lose. Good luck, all of you." Turning, the Light Warriors began walking away as the elders continued to bicker amongst themselves.

"Well, that was to the point." Drake muttered. "I suppose there is a need for haste and all, but still. You'd think they could have told us more about the prophecy and all that, or something."

"Look at it this way. You saw that thing back in Sarda's. Did you really want to try and wring comprehensibility out of it?" Mary reminded him. "I'm just glad they're doing that for us."

"You make a good point." The elf nodded. "Let's rest up, then, and tomorrow, as Bikke said, we storm the volcano."

"Nice to see you being so cheery about it." Vlad noted sardonically. "I'm not looking forward to it, personally. Burning and fire and all that. But that's just me, what do I know." He waved his sister off before she even spoke. "Sarcasm, sister. It's our job, we have to do it. I'll be fine. Let's get ready for it, then." Back inside the town, he immediately headed for the magic shops, not noticing-or caring about-the worried eyes of the others on his back.

----------------------------

_Vlad screamed. _

_Vlad burned. _

_Vlad ran. _

_Searing his skin, boiling his blood, the flames covered every inch of him, continually feeding off of him but never consuming him entirely, continuing to blaze through him continuously, eternally, always. _

_And burning Kary watched, and laughed. _

_Vlad ran, but there was nowhere to run to. He hid, but that which he hid from had already found him. The world was silent and still around him, unmoving, uncomprehending of his suffering, of his existence. He saw everything, but nothing saw him. Nothing would ever acknowledge his existence again. Nothing but the flames that would always be there. _

_And searing Kary looked, and exulted. _

_Vlad ran, a screaming, searing, ever-burning wreckage of a man, flames coursing through him wherever he went. He ran across the world, seeking something, anything, that would douse the flames, but none could do so. The waters of the lakes, of the rivers, even of the sea itself, simply boiled into steam around him. The ice in the north, at the peak of the world, held no trace of cold for him, it melted and boiled as well. Neither did the ice of the south, and though Vlad ran from one pole of the world to the other in his frenzy, clutching to the desperate hope that one would succeed where the other did not, it availed him not. _

_And flaming Kary saw, and smiled. _

_No matter where he ran, the fires would not let him rest. They spurred him onwards, forced him into frenzied movement, seeking, searching for relief that would never come. Finally, he returned to where he had begun-the volcano, the heart of fire. The lava scalded him, but not so much as the eternal flames that were part of him forever, and he passed through to the core of the volcano, where SHE waited, she who had doomed him, she who waited for the day when he would burn for real, forever and always. _

_Kary, Fiend of Fire, waited for him. _

_"Burn, little Vlad. Burn, Warrior of Light." Blazing Kary hissed. "Scream in pain, writhe in agony, as you burn for me. You are MINE, Vlad, and you will burn forever once you come to me. THAT is your fate, your purpose, the reason you were born. To burn for me. For I am fire, Vlad, and fire must have something to consume. I will use you, Vlad, for my fires that will never end. The spirit that fills you will be food for my flames. You will be MINE, Vlad, and my flames will devour you, and you shall burn always and forever." _

_And in absolute despair, confronted with the horror of eternal flame, Vlad awoke from the nightmare. _

_And Vlad screamed. _

_And in the horrible, clinging heat that had risen over Crescent Lake, that filled his room in the inn… though there was no physical flame, though the fires were not literally there… Vlad felt himself burn. _

_But Vlad could not run. _


	9. Chapter 8: Ring Of Fire

**_Chapter 8: Ring Of Fire_**

Against all logic, the glow of the fires was dim and dark; although one touch would sear the flesh from any life form unaccustomed to the flames, their hue showed no signs of this, only allowing slight light to escape from them and wash throughout the bottom of the Gurgu Volcano. To some of its dwellers, however, this made no difference, such as the red-scaled hydra that thrashed along the lava flow in confusion. Although it had five separate heads on snakey necks that grew out from a fishlike body, none of them held a single eye; the hydras used other senses to guide them. On this occasion, though, this one was most definitely lost, as shown by how it bumped into a reptilian bulk greater then ten times its size, scales a much more vibrant ruby than the hydra's dull crimson. Grunting in irritation, the beast turned its head around to glare down at the cowering servant.

"Lost, are we?" The red dragon growled. "You'd better get not lost soon, then… if Lady Kary finds you down here, she'll have you for lunch today… and the next day, and the next, and every day for the rest of eternity. I don't think you'd like that. Get out of here." Heads flailing in panic, the hydra swam away at breakneck pace. Sighing, the red dragon continued on his own path through the lava channels, and soon reached his destination. Shouldering open the heavy steel doors, he beheld his mistress, Kary, Fiend of Fire.

"Ah, good morning, Ifrit." Kary yawned, stretching all of her arms in different directions. "Did you sleep well?"

"Tolerable, my lady." Ifrit bowed his head, not bothering to elaborate; in truth, his dreams had been of a time long ago, a dragon he no longer was, and he would have preferred to have forgotten such things entirely. That was no interest of his mistress', though. "And yourself?"

"Wonderful." The Fiend of Fire purred, tiny flames dancing in her eyes. "He approaches, and the closer he becomes to me the greater his fear grows… and the greater his fear, the closer I can bring him to envisioning his true fate. It was… marvelous." She shuddered, smiling, and Ifrit coughed politely.

"Yes, well… I am glad to hear you enjoyed your slumber, milady." Privately, the red dragon hoped that he could head her off of this line of conversation. One of his primary duties to her was a sort of confidant, listening to her private thoughts, and the Light Warrior mage had grown to occupy them increasingly over the past years. On several occasions, it had become quite embarrassing.

"I always enjoy my slumber, Ifrit." Kary laughed. "You know that…" She paused, eyes narrowing. "As does our guest. I know you're there, Kraken… you may as well show yourself." Ifrit's head shot around in surprise to stare at the ceremonial cloud of darkness that had appeared, cloaking the Fiend of Water.

"Just waiting for you to rouse yourself, sister… wouldn't want to disturb your beauty sleep, after all." Kraken greeted her sneeringly.

"It IS important… you could stand with a healthy dose of that yourself, brother." Kary returned with a wicked smile. "Welcome to Gurgu… I'm afraid I can't exactly turn the heat down."

"Hilarious." Kraken murmured. "It's quite all right… I have been here before. Others, however, who have not, seem to be approaching… significant others."

"Indeed… I'm quite looking forward to it." Kary leaned back on her throne. "One of them, anyways… I don't care about the other three, but the one who bears the Orb of Fire… I highly anticipate HIS arrival."

"That may not exactly be the wisest course of action." The Fiend of Water shook his head. "They DID kill Lich, after all… I doubt you will be able to make your will and wishes for them into reality as easily as you want."

"Perhaps." Kary conceded. "But as it is currently in relation to me, I don't see why you would be concerned, Kraken… unless you offer to help, that is."

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I'm offering." Kraken replied with no trace of sarcasm. "Not with my own hand-that would be useless, this far from the Sea Shrine and in your center of power to boot-and most of my strongest minions would die quickly here. However, there are the Wizard Ogres… if you agree, I'd be happy to send a squad of them here to support your servants. Mix things up a bit."

"Ogres?" Kary blinked, surprised. "I thought they served Lich…"  
"These were an experiment, some centuries back." Kraken explained. "We wanted to see what happened when life forms accepted blessings from two of us. The success rate was even more reduced-less than five percent of the Green Ogres survived the subsequent taking of my Blessing-but the few that did make it have been breeding ever since, and they're quite substantial around Onrac now."

"Wizard Ogres… an interesting concept." Kary mused. "Very well, I'll take them. However…" She smiled unpleasantly. "I do wonder as to why. Be honest, Kraken-we've never been fond of each other. Why the sudden urge to contribute to my survival?"

"If you must know, it's not about you." The Fiend of Water growled, eyes flashing. "It's about miss high-and-mighty, I-told-you-so. I want to see that stupid prophecy smashed, and all her worries proved unfounded."

"I see… well, I'm of similar opinion of you on that." Kary conceded, then smirked darkly. "Plus, if they die here, YOU don't have to worry about confronting them, right?" Kraken scowled.

"I don't worry anyways, that's Tiamat. I just want to show her-what is that?" He broke off, staring at the unfortunate red hydra as a lava current carried it past the room. Kary rose, eyes burning, and Ifrit groaned.

"One of them, down here? The impudent worm-knot, I'll-"

"That's a hydra!" Kraken interrupted with a shrill protest. "They're water-dwellers… MY domain! You've given your Blessing to some of them?" Slowly, Kary turned to regard him, anger fading from her face to be replaced by amusement.

"Why not? I offer my Blessing to all who can take it… and once they've been changed, they swim through lava as easily as water. It's not like YOU give hydras your Blessing. As far as I'm concerned, that means they're fair game." Kraken stared at her, sputtering, before raising his tentacles and giving in.

"Whatever. I'll go get those Wizard Ogres, then." He disappeared along with his cloud, and the Fiend of Fire chuckled, then glanced at Ifrit, who had watched the exchange between Fiends without a word.

"Oh, are you still here, Ifrit?" Kary waved a hand dismissively at him. "Go find that red hydra and get him out of here… I'll spare his life for making Kraken spazz like that, but if I have to see him down here again I might forget myself. Show him the way back to the upper level before I do."

"Ah… right, mistress." The Red Dragon stood and walked out, leaving the Fiend of Fire alone with her thoughts.

And as she remembered her dreams, Kary smiled, fierce and cruel.

----------------------------

"Ugh… even this early, it is too freakin' hot for this." Drake muttered as he glanced over the side of the canoe at the school of carnivorous caribe fish that were swimming towards them. After a moment, the elf winced and looked at Vlad. "Sorry, man… didn't mean to bring it up."

"Hrm." The Black Mage grunted, boiling the water around the fish with a basic fire spell. Steaming, the caribes floated to the surface, and Luke happily speared them into the boat.

"Awesome, breakfast. Good thinking, Vlad." Vlad shrugged and took a fish, looking behind them at Crescent Lake as they ate. Since they had awoken and set out for the Volcano, the Black Mage had not said a single coherent word, even during their clumsy beginning at attempting to move the canoe without expert assistance that had garnered curses from the other three (Mary's use of a certain four-letter word after she had slipped and banged the back of her head on the rail had surprised them all). His combat prowess had not suffered, as the Caribe and similar incidents showed-the river monsters seemed even more ornery than those on land, perhaps because of the heat-but there was nonetheless something off about the Black Mage on this day, that all of them noticed and none of them spoke of. They simply continued along the twisting, winding waterways of Crescent Lake, following the map given to them that would lead them to their goal.

"Right, we turn left this time!" Mary instructed as they came to another intersection, and the others followed her instructions, manipulating the oars to guide them down the path. "We're getting close now. This canoe moves much faster than we could on foot… not quite as fast as the _Amphitrite_, but we can't exactly bring it in here."

"Yeeaaah." Drake looked around at the narrow cliffs alongside the river. "Bike's a good-humored fella, but I don't think even he would be laughing if we tore the ship's sides off." He paused in his rowing for a moment to dig around in his pack and take out the Orb of Earth. "Well, if we're getting close, might as well ask about some things… he said he'd come if I used this…"

"Indeed I did." The Element of Earth's voice came from the cliffside, and a moment later, his face appeared in the stone. "And so, I am here… I'm a bit nervous this close to Kary, to be honest, but I don't think she's noticed me. How can I help you? I hope you're not counting on me knocking down ceilings or anything in there…"

"No, no." Drake laughed, picking his oar back up. "I was just hoping you could tell us some things about what to expect in the way of opposition."

"Aha! Well then, happy to oblige!" Earth winked, face easily moving along the cliffs to follow them. "To start with, most of the native wildlife around here… but that shouldn't be much of a problem for you by now. No, what you'll want to watch out for is, well… how to put this. Are you familiar with the Fiend's Blessing?"

"Never heard of it." Mary admitted, and the other three shook their heads as well.

"Oh dear… I was afraid of that." Earth sighed. "Basically… it's like a spell. Monsters who have pleased one of the Fiends can choose to accept their blessing, a tiny portion of the Fiend that is implanted into the monster's body. It stands a chance of killing them, but if it doesn't, it changes the monster significantly, warping their body into something stronger. The most obvious physical identification of this is a change in color."

"Oh, like Green Ogres?" Drake snapped his fingers. "I get it now!"

"Exactly… those were Ogres who had received Lich's Blessing." Earth nodded. "So then… there are many monsters in the Volcano who have received Kary's Blessing. Be especially wary of any beasts that are red-skinned." He paused for a moment, frowning. "Most of all, though… she has one servant in particular. An evil dragon, one of those who follow Tiamat, who was sent to her sister of fire. That one will easily be the greatest threat save Kary herself-be wary of it."

"We'll keep that in mind." Luke promised. "Right, it should be just around this bend."

"I'll leave, then, so as not to give you away." Earth melted back into the cliff. "Good luck… you can do it, I know." Turning the bend, the Light Warriors came to the shore and a line of trees, part of a ring that surrounded another ring of water around the island on which the Gurgu Volcano sat. Beaching the canoe, they carried it through the trees, and then crossed the short distance to the island, looking up at the towering spire as they did. Hundreds of feet tall, mouth a charred black, the Gurgu Volcano seemed unusually quiet and placid. The only hint of what lurked within was a dull red glow barely visible atop the volcano's peak, and inside the cavern mouth that led further in, on the ground level.

"Show time again, looks like." Drake muttered as they parked the canoe. "No beating around the bush… we might as well go." He stepped out of the little boat, and after a moment Luke and Mary followed… but Vlad did not.

"Brother?" Mary turned to look at him, crouched motionless in the canoe. "What is it?"

"I… can't." The Black Mage whispered, staring down. "I can't… go. Not in there. I just can't." Luke and Drake glanced at each other.

"Come on, man…" The elf attempted. "Look, it might be bad, but we've gone through a lot of shit already-"

"It's not that." Vlad shook his head. "I want to go. I want to get out of this boat. But my feet won't move… neither will the rest of my body. I'm scared like nothing else… I can't even think straight. Just one thought of going in there, and I froze up… I couldn't move right now if my life depended on it. I'm paralyzing myself."

"It's… that bad?" Mary wondered. "It was never this bad before… just the opposite, the worse it got the more active you were, trying to escape it…"

"Those were just dreams. Here, I'm going at the real thing…" Vlad began shaking. "I can't…"

"I think we need to know about this." Luke's face grew grim, overriding protests from the other two. "I've been groping around the edges of this for a while now, but now, I think you should tell me and Drake the whole story, Vlad. It looks like it's important."

"All… right." Vlad agreed after a moment. "Ever since I was little… I've had dreams. Continuous ones, all more or less the same. All about fire." As he spoke, the Black Mage drew his hat off, revealing his withered face once more. "Fire that burned me, forever… eternal pain, that would never stop, never go out. And Kary there, causing it all, and wanting more. It was more horrible than I could ever imagine at that age, and even now, I haven't found anything to top it. Every night, after only a few hours of sleep, I'd wake up screaming. That's why I don't sleep much-I can't. I can't go back to that after waking from it, not for another day, and when I do it's the same nightmares again. Mary and Merton are the only ones I told about this before… and they couldn't stop them. Nothing can. That fear… it's become part of me, a big part. And now… it's controlling me. I'm afraid, guys… too much. I can't go on. I'm sorry."

"Man…" Drake shook his head. "You had it just as rough as I did… I never would have figured. I don't know…" Mary was biting her lip.

"Neither do I. I don't know what to do… how to help him. I can't help him…" She looked as if she was about to break down herself. Only Luke was remaining solid, stone-faced, as he looked down at his cringing friend.

"You've been trying to make him feel better the whole time, huh? Trying to help him forget?" He asked the White Mage, who nodded. "Figures. Usually the right move… but not this time. I'm gonna have to ask you all to forgive me… but I'm also gonna have to ask you two to stay out of this." Before Mary and Drake could respond, the brawny Fighter's hands shot out, picking Vlad up bodily by the front of his robes and hauling him out of the canoe.

"NO!" Vlad howled. "Put me back! Don't!"

"I don't think so." Luke disagreed, turning towards the volcano.

"Hold on, man!" Drake protested. "This is a bit much!"

"Let him go!" Mary agreed. "Don't-"

"I said stay out of this!" Their leader barked. "This is the only way!"

"No, no, no!" Vlad shrieked, flailing around. "Put me down, please! Please!"

"Make me." Luke told him, continuing to advance on Gurgu. "If you can."

"What?" Vlad stared at him. "You want me to… hurt you?"

"That's the only way you'll stop me." Luke insisted. "And you don't have to hurt me that much to do it. You know you can. Do it. MAKE me stop, or I won't." Vlad's eyes contracted, and he slowly raised his hands.

"I'm… sorry." Green gas poured into Luke's face, and he stopped, snoring, letting the Black Mage tumble down to his feet. Vlad remained there, shivering, as Drake roused Luke.

"Huh… you did it. Knew ya could." The Fighter grinned down at his friend. "See? You can push past that sort of thing, if you really out your mind to it… if it's important enough."

"That was the fear that made me do that…" Vlad hissed. "You made me so afraid, I attacked my own friend… that was what you wanted?"

"Yeah. Now we just gotta find something in you more important than the fear." Luke explained. "And you'll push past that, the same way."

"It won't work." Vlad disagreed. "There's nothing that hits me harder than this."

"I dunno… there's something I've been wondering about." The Fighter began walking back and forth. "I'm not too bright, but even I know nightmares like that ain't natural… they don't just happen for no reason. There's gotta be something behind 'em… some reason."

"Got a point." Drake agreed. "And I'm starting to think it might be more like my deal than I figured at first."

"Exactly." Luke stopped and turned back to Vlad. "You said Kary's always there… always watching. Does this mean in those dreams, she's the source of those fires that scare you so much?"

"Yeah… she's doing it all. Using me as fuel for the fire… for HER fire." Vlad agreed. "Why?"

"It's obvious, if you can look at it ob… object… whatever." Luke floundered for a bit.

"Objectively?" Drake suggested, and the Fighter nodded.

"Objectively. That's it." He looked at Mary, who was covering her face with one hand. "Your sister figured it out, probly years ago… but she didn't tell you because she thought it would make it worse. She wanted to try and make it go away, make you forget it all… make it stop. A good approach normally, but this time it didn't work… 'cause this ain't a normal time. And they ain't normal nightmares. They're deliberate… being caused, created, whatever… by somebody who wants you to be like this, and screwed up your life just to make it happen." Slowly, Vlad raised his head to stare at the leader.

"Kary?"

"Bingo." Luke nodded. "She's behind the dreams… Idunno how, but she's been sending you those images. She's been doing it all this time, ruining ya, just to be a bitch. And now, here, we've come to her place to beat the shit out of her… pay her back. YOU can pay her back, for all of that… make her regret every bit of it. And when you do… it'll stop. You can end it. End HER, as painful as possible. When she dies, the dreams die too… you'll never have to face them again. And the slime responsible can die, screaming, at our hands today. But we can't do it without you. We need you, just like any of us. You gotta make it happen… because this one's all about you. So… you ready to hand Kary the bill for all those years?"

Without a word, Vlad stood. He walked past them, to the canoe, none of them making a move to stop him. His steps were firm, unshaking, and when he reached the boat, he only stooped to retrieve the pointed straw hat, which he settled back upon his head before turning to them, eyes glowing fiercer than ever before.

"Let's go." The Black Mage snarled. "Let's kill us a Fiend." Luke grinned.

"Heh… good. Sorry about the rough stuff."

"It was the only way." Vlad shrugged. "I know it now. You ready?"

"Definitely." Drake winked, drawing his sword.

"More than." Mary agreed, wiping her eyes and smiling.

"Oh yeah." Luke turned and began to walk, the others following.

"In we go, then…" Vlad grinned beneath his hat, wide and without humor at all. "You were right… there is something more than that fear. Right now… payback sounds pretty damn good."

----------------------------

"Arrgh, it's hot in here…" Drake winced as a waft of searing air washed over them all. "We should be able to see clearly in a moment… whoa." Walking down the curved entrance tunnel, the four Light Warriors stopped and stared at what lay ahead of them. A massive central chamber filled with a bubbling, molten lava; only a thin layer of it covering the aged, hardened layer that formed the floor, but still hot enough to kill. Endless, it oozed from cracks in said floor, to flow towards the center of the room, where a huge black hole yawned like the maw of some titanic beast, the lava endlessly pouring down into its depths. Vlad shuddered, but did not turn back.

"Sister, I think we'll need your help here." The Black Mage informed Mary. "We can't walk through that by ourselves and live."

"I've got it covered, brother… I made sure to study this spell extensively in Elfland to prepare for this." Mary raised her hands, and silver flames appeared in her palms, fires without heat that washed over them all. "There… that Anti-Fire should protect us from the heat. It'll still hurt when we have to walk through that lava, but it won't take our legs off, so as long as we hurry we'll live."

"There don't seem to be any monsters on this floor… good." Luke noted. "All right, looks like that tunnel over on the other side leads further down. Charge! Ow, ow, ow!" Grunting and yelping, the Light Warriors dashed across the lava, carefully avoiding the pit in the center as they made for the other side. Over his shoulder, Luke detected a flicker of movement, and groaned as a pair of sphinxes flew up out of the pit. "Aw man, spoke too soon!" Green-hided, the beasts were a mishmash of lion, dragon and scorpion, with the heads of men.

"I've got this, keep running!" Without even looking, Vlad pointed his hands over his shoulders, and lightning bolts lashed the sphinxes. Shrieking, the creatures spiraled back into the depths in trails of smoke.

"Good one." Drake grinned as they reached the other side and gratefully left the lava. "Didn't even have to sight it."

"It seemed appropriate." Vlad looked down at his feet. "Hm… singed, but that's all. Good."

"Right, let's head on down." Luke led the way further into the volcano, and the others followed, down the curving path. Soon, the path changed; the light of the lava faded, and the curving of the path straightened out, until they were in a thin, straight hall, lit only by the dim red glow of the walls. Before long, the hall began bending and turning, and soon there were several different ways available.

"A labyrinth." Mary realized. "Lovely. Well, which way shall we go?"

"Might as well be that one." Drake shrugged, indicating the way to their left. As they started down that path, however, four other forms emerged; lava gargoyles, molten beasts of living stone. "Or not. Wrong way!"

"Gotta fight them now!" Luke growled, lunging at one, and with a muttered oath the elf followed suit, leaving the other two for Mary and Vlad. The Black Mage instantly cast an ice spell, freezing the red gargoyle solid, lava cooled into lifelessness. Mary, though, could only swing her hammer, and the gargoyle sprang back, losing an arm but remaining alive. Shrieking, it belched a fireblast that seared them all. Vlad faltered under the heat, but only for a moment, before lunging out and hurling his dagger into the beast's maw and following with a single lightning bolt that tracked the dagger and blazed through it into the gargoyle's brain. Retrieving his weapon from the dead beast, he glanced at Mary.

"You all right?"

"I should be asking you that." Mary healed them both. "You and fire…"

"That was nothing." Vlad scoffed. "I could make a fireblast like that without even trying, now. Save your worries for the real thing."

"We're fine too, in case anybody was wondering." Drake announced lightly as he and Luke stepped away from the corpses of their enemies. "Shall we go, then?" The Light Warriors continued down the twisting labyrinth, dispatching the occasional enemy they came across. Eventually, they spotted a glow ahead of them.

"All right, either we're through with this labyrinth, or we got turned around so much we're back where we came in." Drake reasoned. "Please, Earth, let it be the first… I'll buy you a drink if it is."

"That just may be the most unorthodox prayer I've ever heard." Mary noted as they emerged into the room beyond. "Looks like it worked, though… this isn't where we came from." The way ahead was a veritable lake of lava, with only a few islands of safety poking up along the way. "Will this support our weight?"

"Only one way to find out…" Drake stepped out and winced as he slowly began to sink, then jumped back. "Mostly. If we're fast and go for those little islands, we should be okay."

"Let's go, then!" Luke barked, and they ran for it. Instantly, the lava erupted in hissing heads.

"Hydras?!" Mary recognized. "They're water-dwellers! What the heck?"

"They're red… Kary must have Blessed them!" Drake realized. "They swim in lava now! Don't stop, get to the island-we'll fight them off there!" Ignoring the lashing bites on their backs, the Light Warriors lunged for the first island, then turned and returned the sentiment with sword and spell. As it turned out, more hydras would emerge every time they continued on, but they were able to fend them off without taking too much damage, which Mary's spells easily countered.

"Are you okay?" Drake inquired as they reached the other side and continued down a thinner river of lava, mostly being able to stand on cooled ground at the edges. "You're not going to exhaust yourself like you did with Lich again, are you?"

"I'm fine." The White Mage assured him. "So far we've only needed very mild healings. I won't be anywhere near in trouble until we get to Kary herself, and when that happens…" She shrugged. "Well, let's just hope we don't get carved up as much as with Lich." They continued down the lava river for quite some time, fending off the Fiend of Fire's minions; in addition to the hydras, angry hyenas had been given the Blessing as well. Far more unpleasant, though, was the moment when they had turned a corner and discovered Giants with Iguanas on leashes, ALL of them blazing red with the Blessing.

"Well, THAT was unpleasant." Drake summed up the brawl once they had finished and continued on. "Have I mentioned how glad I am you're around, miss Mary?"

"You're just saying that because your arm isn't broken any more." The White Mage chided him mock-severely. "Hello, what's this?" The lava river forked up ahead; one way led straight down the tunnel, but the other ended in front of a small cavern mouth.

"That looks interesting… let's check it out!" Drake suggested. Shrugging, the others followed him into a small room with two treasure chests. "Ooh, bonus!" Inside were a sword and shield, but they did not match-indeed, they were complete opposites. The blade looked like a massive, sharpened icicle, white and gray and cold to the blade, although the hilt was insulated. The shield was red and orange, carved to resemble leaping flames.

"Enchanted." Vlad explained. "The sword with ice, the shield with fire. That blade will doubtless be effective against the enemies here, while the shield… not so much, but if we ever go up against ice monsters, it will come in handy."

"They look better than my silver stuff, anyways." Luke noted, happily taking up the heavy gear. "Wonder why this sword's here, though? Odd place for something that would actually help us against Kary."

"Maybe she didn't trust it anywhere else." Drake turned around, then froze. "Or… maybe it was a trap." The others spun as well and stared at the four hulking figures that loomed outside of the room. They were Ogres, but of a new color; blue, with dangerously intelligent eyes and clubs that looked more like wands or staffs, thinner and made of a strange blue metal.

"Wizard Ogres? Here?" Mary gasped, and the elf's eyes widened.

"WIZARD Ogres? Wizard OGRES?" Drake demanded. "Ogres can't do magic! They wouldn't even know which way to point it!" One of the enemy grinned and leveled its weapon at him, casting a cloud of darkness that darkened his eyes. "Augh! I'm blind!" Another one laughed and released a now-familiar spray of icicles. Instantly, Luke ran forward and threw up his shield, deflecting most of them.

"An ice spell, when I just got this? Looks like they're still not too bright." The Fighter scoffed. A third one growled at that and prepared to cast its own spell, then stopped, voiceless. The others all stared at him, then examined themselves, and discovered that they were equally mute. The distraction proved severe enough for Luke to easily remove one of their heads, at which point they simply charged, muscles bulging, in the traditional Ogre fashion.

"Mute saves the day again!" Drake crowed as Mary removed the blackness from his eyes with another spell, then charged in to help Luke and Vlad finish off the remaining foes.

"Well, that take care of that." Vlad noted once they were all down. "Shame for whoever planned that ambush… it seems a little subtle for Kary. Whoever it was, I'm sure they're horribly disappointed… shall we press on?" Returning to the lava river, they continued down its length until it finally ended, spilling over a precipice into a massive, circular chasm with more lava falls covering every inch of the wall. Wincing, Luke leaned over and looked up for a moment before pulling back.

"This is the big pit that we saw at the start, all right… looks like we're near the bottom. We should be able to jump safely."

"Or, we could just climb down that ladder carved into the wall below us." Drake suggested, and the Fighter nodded.

"Yeah, we could. If you like climbing down a ladder covered in molten lava, even with Mary's Anti-Fire spell."

"I have a different plan. Let's jump." The Elf replied without missing a beat as they did so, hurling themselves through the lava fall from overhead onto the floor below. They landed on a small island in the center of the chamber; now, through the lava falls, they saw eight separate tunnels stretching out, equally spaced around each other.

"Might as well try one…" Luke shrugged. Doing so, they found at the end of the path an empty room, with only a few ceremonial-looking candles occupying it. The same filled several others. The next few rooms were identical; it wasn't until the fourth one that they found something different. VERY different.

"Ah… you would be the Light Warriors, then." The huge, red-scaled dragon curled around the back of the room yawned, stretching. Rearing up onto its hind legs, it regarded them coolly. "I thought I heard some noise from up above."

"Ah… wrong door, I think." Mary suggested.

"Actually, would you believe us if we said we were Iguana Exterminators?" Drake chuckled weakly. "You seem to have a really nasty breed of 'em here…"

"How droll." The dragon gave the sort of grin normally seen on similarly reptilian faces by unfortunate rivergoers about five seconds too late. "Unfortunately, I don't think I would. It's not that I doubt my lady's ability to destroy you, you understand… it's simply my duty to attempt to deal with you first. As to if my attempt will succeed…" He shrugged. "Well, that's up to you, isn't it?" Suddenly lunging out with one claw, he slashed Luke across the chest and sent the Fighter tumbling back. Laughing, the red dragon launched himself into the air and soared down towards them, only to meet Vlad's spray of icicles. With his massive size and wings spread, the beast was a giant target for the spell, and he went down, groaning.

"Good one!" Drake chuckled. "Let's finish this, boss!"

"Right!" Luke got back to his feet, and the two of them charged. As they neared him, the dragon's head shot out, fangs bared.

"I'm made of more than THAT, boys!" Luke met him with his sword, fangs clashing against cold metal, and the beast's eyes widened in pain. "The Ice Sword… damn!"

"That's not the only one we've got!" Drake grinned, lashing out at one of the dragon's wings with the sword he had found in the Temple of Fiends. "This sucker was designed to kill dragons!" The red-scaled brute howled as the wing was completely severed. "No more flying around for you!"

"Enough of this!" The red dragon drew its head back and inhaled. "Now, taste REAL firepower!" From its maw, a massive blaze spread out, expanding to cover them all. Vlad and Mary gasped in pain and bent over, but the other two Light Warriors grit their teeth and continued slashing, inflicting dreadful wounds on the red dragon's hide. Snarling, he slammed them back with his claws.

"Tough bugger!" Luke grunted.

"Well, he IS a dragon!" Drake reminded him, then blinked as Vlad ran between them, robes still smoking. "Hey, what are you-"

"Fool!" The dragon laughed. "This time, my blaze will kill you!" As he opened his mouth to inhale again, however, the Black Mage finished muttering the words to his spell, and a noxious blue gas was created, blowing into the enemy's face. Surprised, the red dragon inhaled the fumes, then froze, no blaze coming forth. "What… was that…"

"Deadly poison… the Bane spell." Vlad explained as Mary rose and began healing them, all four watching the red dragon slowly fall over, expression of surprise still frozen on his dead features. "Well. That was unpleasant." He pointed beyond the corpse at a treasure chest. "Looks like we may have a prize for it, though." Inside was a heavy breastplate in the same blazing enameled style of the shield they had found earlier. "Before you ask, yes, it's like the shield."

"Looks like good stuff, though… very nice." Luke ran a finger over the flames. "I think I'll take it along… might be a bit hot to wear down here, but once we're on our way again…" Grunting, he stowed the armor into his pack with a bit of difficulty, then almost as an afterthought wiped his sword off on the dead dragon and sheathed it. "Well then, let's keep checking these rooms."

"Just a suggestion, though, from now on." Drake said as they left the room. "I'm getting the feeling one of these will have Kary herself in them, so from now on, let's peek through the doors BEFORE we open them, ah? That way we'll have time to prepare." As it turned out, that was definitely the right move; the seventh room they checked did, indeed, hold the Altar of Fire within it. Backing away from the crack in the door, Luke nodded at his friends.

"She's in there."

"All right… I'll recast the Anti-Fire spell, just to be safe." Mary did so, then handed out healing potions. "All right then… I think that's about all we can do." Vlad finished casting the Fast spells on both Luke and Drake, took a deep breath, then nodded firmly.

"Let's do it, then." Side by side, they kicked the door open, and beheld the Altar of Fire. At first glance, the room appeared to be simple and bare; the only features being the altar and throne, the former of which held a glowing blue sphere. As they actually entered, however, all four Light Warriors detected an odd smell, as well as a sticky substance on their feet.

"Oil." Mary grimly identified. "All over the floor. Once she actually comes out, this place will be an inferno… that Anti-Fire really was a good idea."

"You recognize it… good." A voice hissed from the sphere as it cracked open, and steam, black as the oil but blisteringly hot, rose out of it. And then the steam began to take shape, long and winding, sinuous and coiling. The purple-scaled coils of a snake, that gradually shifted into bright red skin, the torso of a woman with six arms, each of them holding a sword of a different shape. Despite the obvious inhumanity, some would have considered the Fiend of Fire beautiful, until they saw her head-crowned by a mass of flaming hair, her face held cruelty and sadism and an eternal, insane hunger, all in a pair of blazing yellow eyes and a grinning, far too wide mouth. As her form solidified, the darkness washed over them all, and again the Light Warriors froze for a moment, feeling anew the weight of the evil before them. "Welcome to Gurgu… I am Kary, Fiend of Fire, and I have been waiting for you." She arched an eyebrow mockingly. "Was it truly necessary to kill Ifrit?"

"Hey, he started it." Drake recovered and shot her an equally mocking grin. "You know who we are, then? I don't need to bother trying the Iguana Exterminators line again?" Kary nodded.

"Of course… three of you are the tinder who killed Lich. That certainly woke me up… a shame. I was having such a splendid dream. Which leads me to the other… Vlad. I know you all too well… it's so nice of you to finally pay me a visit." Her eyes fixed on him, and a forked tongue darted out between her smiling lips. "Now that you're finally here, I can show you the full force of fire, and you shall burn in my flames. I hope you're looking forward to it… I certainly am."

"So, Luke was right." Vlad growled. "Everything I've gone through, everything that's ruined me… you did it. Intentionally."

"Of course!" Kary laughed. "Did it really take you that long to figure out? I was certainly there enough… even when you weren't, I slept as much as I could, so that I could be in the world of dreams to catch you the moment you came. I couldn't help it… you're just that fascinating to me. I want you so much… I had to do it, to pass the time until you came to me for real. We are linked together, little mortal… we have a bond, one that will be permanently branded on your soul today." Vlad bowed his head.

"We have a bond, huh… all right. Then if we really do, just answer me this. Why? Why did you have such an obsession with me? The others didn't… Lich killed Drake's family, but that's hardly the same thing, and Kraken and Tiamat haven't done anything that I know about to Luke and my sister. Why you and me?"

"Ho… you're actually requesting something of me? How… cute." Kary's smile grew even wider. "Why not? To be honest, if you can believe that I CAN be honest, I don't totally know myself… all I know is that on the moment of my last awakening, I knew of you, and that you would come someday. And as soon as I knew that, I knew that I wanted you more than anything, ever… to destroy you, to burn you, to ignite you, to make you mine." For a moment, her eyes held something else. "Since you asked me nicely, just one time, then I'll tell you something nice back, just one time… I suspect the root of this lies not in me, but in my alternate. We ARE connected, you know… opposite sides of a coin. If you win, somehow, like with Lich, ask her… I'm sure she knows." The look faded, and once more the Fiend of Fire's face held only malice. "But that's not going to happen. Because you're going to die now. Your friends will go on to the other side, but you're staying right here with me… now, and forever."

"I don't think so." Vlad raised his head again and glared, eyes glowing red. "Thanks for the tip, though… I'll make sure to ask her, after we obliterate YOU!" Kary laughed.

"All right then, let's see it! I'll even give you the first shot, and I won't move until it's done, as long as it's fire… let me see the hottest flame you can summon! Let's see how bright YOUR power burns, before I show you mine!"

"Do you think we're stupid?" Luke shook his head. "You're the Fiend of Fire… fire spells aren't gonna do much to you. Hell, they might even make you stronger." Kary looked at him for a moment, then raised a hand to her mouth. Spitting, she then turned the hand to them, showing the small glob of fire as it burned her flesh, doing obvious damage-a tiny bit, but harm nonetheless.

"Fire is not like the other elements… its direct touch consumes everything. And I am a reflection of fire… I hold no immunity to it. Your fires will harm me, Vlad, just as much as any of your other spells… so don't hold back. I hate when people hold back… show me the brightest blaze you can, all of you, so I can crush you from the fullest height!" Vlad's hands began to smoke.

"All right then… wish granted!" There was no outward motion, no direction. Instantly, the sphere of expanding flame simply appeared around Kary, engulfing her totally as it exploded into raging being. Its edged touched the oil in the room and ignited it, the chamber bursting into blazing life around the four Light Warriors, who watched as the explosion dissipated, and looked upon Kary… who merely grinned.

"That… was fun." Laughing, she lunged out, all six arms flashing as her swords blurred into life. Luke, as usual, took the fore, attempting to brace most of the swords while Drake took the remainder. Five of the six arms were met in this fashion, but one remained free, holding a massive longsword that even Mr. Smite would have had trouble wielding. Catching Luke at the waist, it smashed him away, freeing most of her arms to slice at Drake, although the elf was able to leap back after only a few hits. "Ha ha ha, was that the best you could-huh?" A small, dense-looking green cloud flew into her face, and the Fiend of Fire's eyes closed, as she began to snore.

"Looks like the condensed version of Sleep can even work on her… good." Vlad noted as Luke got back to his feet. "Won't hold for long, though."

"Then you should use the Orb while she's down!" Drake suggested. "That was what ended up killing Lich… it should do the same here!"

"Right." Vlad pulled out the Orb of Fire, which was now glowing the same bright blue that Kary's sphere had. Running up to her, he held the Orb to her scales, and with a hiss, Kary's eyes snapped open. Her tail shifted and lashed, smashing Vlad and the Orb both away.

"THAT was an unpleasant wakeup… although you could certainly have used the time more constructively." She noted, then grinned again. "Unless you thought the Orb's mere touch would kill me? Fools… it hurts, I will admit, but I am stronger than that!"

"Oh yeah… it didn't kill Lich until I shoved into his heart, or whatever the hell that stuff was!" Drake slapped his forehead. "Duh! WHOA!" He jumped as Kary lunged for him and Luke again, but this time instead of blocking, he dodged under the blades on the Fiend's left side and countered, opening a slight cut on her side before being forced to retreat with more wounds.

"Fine time to forget something like that, clown!" Vlad snarled, firing the spray of icicles over their heads. Kary simply allowed them to impale her and laughed as they melted instantly.

"Was that supposed to hurt? Here, let ME show you how it's done!" Her mouth opened, and inside was fire… but not red fire. The fire was blue, hotter than anything in the volcano, and now it blasted out, blowing them all to the back of the room as blazing shapes.

"Oh, oh…" Mary moaned, healing them all and erasing the burn damage. "Brother, don't-"

"I'm fine." Vlad snapped, slowly standing. "I can freak out after this… until then, we have to win."

"Could be tough, though." Luke muttered as they advanced on Kary again, who patiently sat and watched them cross the room again. "She's just as strong as Lich, but totally different in style… he used spells, but she's all about brute strength and speed. Pure power."

"I heard that." Kary called out. "And you're almost right… almost. I do know a few spells. Here, you can try one!" Her eyes flashed, and twin bolts of darkness extended from them to hit the Fighter's eyes.

"Ack! I can't see!"

"And without your shield, the rest of you won't stand a chance against me!" The Fiend of Fire crowed, swords flashing as she launched herself out again.

"Damn it… sister, Lamp him! Drake, don't freak out!" The Black Mage snarled, hands moving.

"Huh?" Drake blinked. "What are you-WHOA!" Below his feet, a pillar of fire rushed up. Thanks to Mary's spell and its low power, he was not harmed, but instead borne over Kary's swords and arms and into her surprised face. "Oho! Nice one, man!" Grinning, he slashed her across the face, and Kary hissed, recoiling before swatting him away. By the time she moved again, though, Luke was back up and moving again, the darkness cleared from his eyes by Mary's spells. He struck first, slashing her on her scaly lower body.

"See if you can slow her down somehow again!" He yelled to Vlad as a cutlass slashed him. "That's the only way we can really get her!" Vlad nodded and materialized a familiar-looking orange sphere, which he hurled. Kary sneeringly blocked it with a sword, then froze, her face changing to surprise just in time.

"That's the Hold spell… Lich used it to great effect against us. I thought it'd be nice to return the favor." Vlad informed her. "Carve her up!"

"Got it!" Luke and Drake charged, and their swords slashed out, opening deep cuts and repeating on the same spots over and over again, digging deeper and deeper into the Fiend's flesh. What was revealed by the strikes, though, was not gore, but blue fire, blazing and painful. "Ow… is her entire body filled with this stuff or something?"

"Exactly." A voice from above drew their eyes up just in time to see a pair of swords smash them away. Kary glared at Vlad, raising one hand. "If you like Hold so much, then taste it yourself!" Vlad tried to dodge, but wasn't agile enough; the Hold spell froze him, and Kary lunged forward, snatching him up and following with another wave of blue fire that blasted the others away. Holding the paralyzed Black Mage in the air above herself, Kary grinned maliciously. "As I told you, Vlad… you are mine. Shall it be now, then… now, that I take you and make you part of me? The fuel for my fire?" Her mouth opened, wide, wider, but no fires came out… they remained inside, blazing blue and dancing, a yawning pit of brilliant flames that Vlad stared down into in horror. Holding him above her maw, Kary continued to speak without closing it. "THIS is your fate, Vlad… the fate all who have irritated me have gone to, over all the years since my last awakening. For I am fire, and fire must have food to burn. THIS is your destiny, little Vlad."

"Not… just me." The Black Mage croaked. "I still have… the Orb of Fire." Kary's eyes widened. "Do this now… and the Orb will come with me, into you. That was what really killed Lich… not the Orb's touch, but when it went into his core. If the Orb of Fire enters YOUR core… what will happen?" Kary's teeth clamped shut, and with a roar of rage she hurled him to the back of the room, alongside his rising friends, healed and back in the fight again.

"Fine, then! If you insist on struggling the entire way… I'll kill you first, pry the Orb from your dead fingers, and THEN I will devour you, body and soul!" Blasting forward, she slashed and struck, forcing Luke and Drake back, then unleashed her fireblast and blew them all away. This time, however, she immediately followed up, but not on them. She dove at Vlad, ignoring the lightning he conjured up as a startled defense, and with a triumphant scream lashed at him with all six blades she held. His dagger was knocked away as he raised it in a feeble last defense, and the blades bit into his body, blood spurting everywhere.

"No…" The Black Mage coughed, stumbling back. "No… I can't… die… not here… no…" Spewing blood from his mouth as well, he collapsed forward, hat covering his head. And Kary laughed.

"No! Brother!" Mary screamed.

"Damn it… we're screwed without him!" Drake realized grimly. "None of us can use the Orb of Fire to kill her, I'll bet…"

"So… we lose?" Luke stared at the exultant Fiend of Fire. "Just like that… it's over? She wins?"

"No." Mary stated firmly, glaring at Kary in hatred. "After the last couple times… I've been preparing. I can bring him back. But it's a long spell, and I need full concentration… you two are going to have to keep her off me until I can do it. This is all the help I can give you." From her hands, white, misty fog spread out, filling the room and obscuring even the flames. "I'm counting on you."

"When you put it like that, how can we even think of disappointing?" Drake grinned humorlessly. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Luke nodded, and the two of them charged again.

"What? What is this?" Kary snarled as the fog overtook her. "You're trying to hide? Fools, that will only delay your own fates-ah!" She slashed downward as she felt Luke's sword slice into her, but missed. Drake did the same a moment later, and her counter missed again. Eyes narrowing, she held her arms together in a cluster, and when next she felt a sword hit, she brought them all down together. One of them struck metal and flesh, and Kary brought the others all around on that spot, causing Luke to bellow in pain. Even through it, however, he was able to continue hacking, and Kary focused on him, ripping and tearing… and forgetting the other, until Drake's sword came at her, born by its wielder in a full-length run and leap aimed at the base of one arm. And Kary screamed, as the arm flew away, severed.

"Oh, yeah!" Luke pumped an arm. "Go Drake… uh-oh!" Eyes blazing, Kary fireblasted them away, then repeated again, and again, and again… until a shot of darkness hit her eyes, blinding them.

"Arrgh! Dark? But then…"

"Why?" Vlad, risen from the dead, demanded as he stared at the scorched, shattered wrecks of the Fighter and the Thief, embedded in the wall by the force of the blasts. Mary began healing them, but the Black Mage simply continued to stare, questioning. "Why? Why did you do all that? Why did you take that for me? I died, and it was my own fault! My weakness! You didn't have to take that for me. Why did you do it?"

"Because…" Luke croaked as his blistered skin was restored. "You said… I was your friend. You admitted it. And… you're OUR friend too." Vlad froze.

"Yeah… that's it. And friends… help each other." Drake agreed, jumping down. "Mary, you holding up?"

"It's getting close." The White Mage admitted, glancing back at Kary, who was clawing the blackness from her eyes. "We need to finish her off, soon."

"Yeah…" Vlad slowly turned back to Kary, something new in his eyes. "My death was the last one here. I won't let her kill any of you."

"So, you've come back to me!" Kary shrieked, eyes blazing again. "I was wrong… that death was not nearly enough pain! No… this time, I'll take everything away from you first! I'll kill your friends, all of them, one by one, in front of your eyes! And then, when you scream and wail in misery, THEN I will take you!" She belched her fireblast, but Vlad stood in its way, unflinching.

"No." The Black Mage replied, voice like ice. "You WON'T." Around him, a sphere of fire exploded outward, like the one he had opened the fight with. Kary stared as it pushed her blast back, repelling it with a heat even greater. And then, in the blink of an eye, the sphere of fire charged forward into her, its speed so great that the backlash of it, blew Vlad's hat away from his head as it slammed Kary into her throne. "Hurt me, and I will burn… but hurt those I care for, and YOU shall burn in a fire even greater. You will NOT kill them. GO!"

"Right!" Luke and Drake charged, as Kary began to rise again in a cloud of smoke.

"That… was… beautiful." The Fiend of Fire groaned, visibly damaged by the strike. Much of her snakelike lower body and stomach had been obliterated; through the charred holes there now, the insane blue fire that filled her could be clearly seen. "Much greater… than before." Her swords came down to greet the Warriors, but where Drake held two back as before, Luke bore the other three on his armored back and struck with his sword at the lowest arm on the Fiend's right side, severing it.

"Now both sides match!" He grinned, sword coming up to hold the remaining two, as the Mages charged.

"Before, I was fighting only for myself." Vlad pulled the Orb of Fire out from his robes. "But when they fought for me, I figured it out… there is something I care about, more than my own life, my own pain. It's not payback… it's my sister, and the two idiots who've been at my side this whole time. If it's to keep them alive, I can banish all my fear of you!"

"So you say, but what will you do when they die?" Kary grunted, but was unable to free her four remaining arms from the locks of the Fighter and the Thief. "Damn you… then burn!" As her mouth began to open again, however, she saw Mary rising up at her on a pillar of fire, and with a sickening crunch, the White Mage's hammer smashed into her jaw. And below, Vlad was casting one last spell. One last fireball of tremendous power, of resolve, of everything he stood for, as he hurled the Orb of Fire into the Fiend of Fire's exposed interior. Around her, the fire formed, only pausing for a moment to blow the Light Warriors away without harm as it expanded, swallowing up Kary in one final explosion. The four Light Warriors stood, and watched, as it cleared to reveal a blackened, charred skeleton filled with blue fire no longer, but a shining, ruby red with the Orb of Fire at its core.

"You did it… you won." The blazing wreckage of Kary hissed. "You destroyed me, after all… you truly are a terror. You may be free of fear now, but in the process, you have become something even more terrible than me… and you shall all become even more terrible yet. And because you are mortal, you will not be content with your power… you shall be your own worst enemies, because you will fear what you become more than you ever feared me. A burning heart…" As her bones began to fade and disappear, Kary grinned at Vlad one last time. "Don't die, Vlad. Live, and conquer the others, and live after that… for hundreds, thousands of years more… let me see what you become after this, with nothing left to restrain you, when next I come again. Look forward to it… until then, goodbye!" Her last laugh trailed off into nothingness, as the red light faded back into the Orb of Fire, which fell forward into Vlad's exhausted hand.

"And thus… the nightmares end." The Black Mage said quietly. "All of you… thank you."

"It's not over yet… almost, but not yet." Drake reminded him with a tired smile. "You gotta put it on the altar."

"Very well then." Vlad walked forward. "The Fiend of Fire is banished… let the Fire be restored." The color of the light changed, becoming blinding white that washed over the entire cave. "Wait, hold on… when you did this, Earth showed up. Does that mean…" His voice trailed off as the light faded, and they saw the person who now stood before them. Her dress was red, as was her hair, which flowed and moved with a strange life. Her face was beautiful, and her smile warm, as she looked upon them all, eyes dancing.

"Hello there… it's nice to meet you all at last. You've probably already guessed, but my name's Fire… and you've brought me back into the world again. Thank you."

"This is different…" Drake murmured, before catching Mary's eyes and coughing. "Uh, I mean… just doing our job, ma'am." He glanced at Vlad, who was still staring, a bit slack jawed, and grinned as he slapped the Black Mage on his back. "Breathe, man. Don't want you passing out after all of that." Fire laughed as Vlad turned red.

"It's all right… I think I owe you most of all, Vlad. No matter what Kary did to you, you kept going, and you defeated her in the end."

"Yeah…" Vlad quickly scooped up his hat and shoved it back over his head. "About that… she said something interesting."

"About her obsession with you?" Fire's smile vanished. "Yes… that was my fault. I owe you an apology, and far more… it wasn't intentional, believe me, but I couldn't help myself."

"Oho…" Mary slowly began to smile. "So that's how it is?" The other looked puzzled, but after a moment Luke grinned as well.

"Oh, I get it… Sara told me this happens sometimes…"

"Well, I certainly don't." Vlad tried to sound as grouchy as usual, without much success. "What do you mean? How did you… make Kary like that?"

"She said she was connected to me in some ways, right?" Fire shrugged, creating a pair of flaming humanoid shapes on her fingers, one of which had a snake's lower body. "When I felt something strongly, that carried over to her, in a twisted way of course. You've probably guessed by now that me and my siblings created the prophecy… planned for your coming, and shaped the world to prepare for it. In a way, you could say we created you… each of us took what we felt would be valued most in a hero, and planted the seeds of destiny in that. When it was my turn for that, though… well, I'm the most emotional of us, and I get carried away. When I saw what you would become, and helped to make it happen…" She smiled again. "Like I said… I couldn't help myself." Vlad blinked, then did so again, and again.

"Are you saying…"

"Yup. She likes you too, bro." Mary grinned and followed Drake's example, pounding him on the back. Now Drake was grinning as well, making Vlad the only one who wasn't.

"Heh heh heh… I wouldn't complain, bud. Just the opposite-looks to me like you're almost as lucky as I am."

"Yes, well, enough of that." Fire decided. "We can talk about that later. For now, well done, all of you… you've completed half your task. But…"

"But, the other two are stronger still, right?" Drake made a face, and Fire nodded.

"You got it. And with Kary's death as well, they'll be even more on guard. With her threat gone, though, the Sages will be able to advise you on your next actions, and help you prepare for the next part of your journey."

"Kraken?" Mary guessed.

"Actually, no… he can wait. There are other things in your future before you assault the Fiends of the north… things that will dramatically increase your strength, even beyond its current level." Fire winked. "It might seem like a lot of trouble, but when you're done you'll be happy with the results, trust me."

"Sounds good." Luke agreed. "I suppose we should be getting back to Crescent Lake, then…"

"Allow me." Fire waved her hand, and flames appeared around them all, warming them comfortably without a trace of pain. When they faded, the Light Warriors were standing outside the Volcano, near their canoe, and a small flame remained flickering in the air, with Fire's face visible inside it. "Oh, I can't forget this… here." The Orb of Fire fell out of the flame, and Vlad picked it up. "Light a fire, think of me, and I will come whenever you wish…" She winked again. "And I think I might be able to manage Kary's thing with the dreams too… but with certain things a bit different. I'll see you then!" The fire dissipated, and Vlad slowly tucked the Orb of Fire back into his pack. Drake glanced at his face, and decided certain action was necessary.

"Well. She was hot." He stated calmly. After a moment, Vlad glared at him.

"You're hilarious."

"Knew that'd work." The elf grinned. "If all else fails, my jokes are guaranteed to put you in a normal mood. Shame that mood is bad, but can't have everything, eh?"

"Come on, you two, let's go." Luke admonished, although he was grinning as well. "We still gotta row back to Crescent Lake before we can get some rest… I'll bet that's looking real good for you right now, eh, Vlad?"

"It will be nice to be able to sleep eight hours straight." The Black Mage admitted. "Or ten. Or maybe twelve."

"Right, don't schedule anything big for tomorrow." Mary noted. "Oh well, I suppose you could do a lot worse in a girlfriend, little bro."

"Enough, already." Vlad grumpily grabbed his oar. "I don't hassle YOU three about this sort of thing, do I? Let's get back to Crescent Lake, already."

"Whatever you say, loverboy." Drake whistled, then ducked as a fireball whizzed past his head, and the canoe set off back towards Crescent Lake accompanied by the sound of laughter.


	10. Chapter 9: Under The Sky So Blue

**_Chapter 9: Under The Sky So Blue_**

"All right, I think that's about the entire story… now let me just arrange it all in order." Kraken sighed, glaring down at the single battered, bloody Wizard Ogre who had survived the mess in Gurgu by playing dead. "The Light Warriors came. You all did exactly as I told you. You waited until they were in that room, then jumped them from behind. And they kicked all your butts anyways, mostly because the girl Muted you all. Correct?" The Wizard Ogre nodded nervously. "You were the only one who lived. And soon after that, you felt Kary die, and as soon as you did, you Warped back here before the good little girl felt you." Kraken spat out the last five words with hatred. "So it was all for nothing. Well, so much for that… now it's up to me. They'll be after me next…" Clutching a limb to his forehead, the Fiend of Water groaned. "Coming for me, damn them… they're just mortal, they can't kill me… but they killed Lich and Kary… I can't think straight like this…" He glared at the Wizard Ogre. "What are you still waiting around here for?"

"I can go?" The brute asked, relief washing over his features. Kraken frowned.

"Hm… you thought I would punish you? Well, there's no reason to do so. It's not your fault you lost… you did everything I told you to. You just weren't good enough." The Wizard Ogre started to thank his master, then stopped as a tentacle whipped across his neck, removing his head neatly. "Right then… that was just because I felt like it. Now, what to do, what to do…" Kraken thought frantically. "They're still in Crescent Lake. But they'll come to Onrac soon…" The Fiend of Water blinked, then grinned. "By ship. They have to travel by ship. They'll come to Onrac across the ocean… across MY domain. I'll sink the fools, and that will be that. They'll have to come that way, there's no other…" He frowned again. "No, wait… what if they find…" He broke off, muttering again. "Right, that would do it… damn, they WILL go for it! Those blasted old men in the Circle will tell them all about it! There's got to be something I can do…" His eyes swept across the Wizard Ogre's corpse, and he smiled again, slow and repulsive. "A trap. Another one. That one failed, but if I try again… and this time, no halfway measures. I'll send HIM." Moving through the water, Kraken drifted down the halls of his sunken palace, towards a certain wing. "Now, where is he… I really do have to thank Tiamat for him one of these days…" Thinking back, the Fiend of Water remembered when they had discovered Lich's plight, and Tiamat had decided to gift not him, but the other two as well with a subordinate from her minions, the strongest of all of theirs. For Lich, a vampire, the ultimate form of the undead. For Kary, a dragon of fire, one of the corrupted brood Tiamat had fought so hard for. And for Kraken, who had been first to join her this time, worst of all… a true horror. Finding the door, he pushed it open and glanced inside. "Ah, there you are…"

"Master Kraken." The Fiend of Water's greatest underling turned, hissing. This was not disrespect; his kind always hissed. They didn't seem to be able to manage any other tone. "You require something of me?"

"Perhaps…" Kraken looked behind him to the other forms in the room, and raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Are you having fun with our friends from Marsh?"

"The ones who accepted your Blessing have learned." The minion answered. "They will be ready soon."

"Good." Kraken purred, remembering how the Wizards of Marsh had come to him following Lich's defeat, more determined than ever to see the deaths of the Light Warriors. Kraken had never been one to pass down such willing recruits… some of them had even asked for his Blessing. Looking at them now, all color drained from their bodies to a dead white, only their eyes and the drops of water embedded in their foreheads glowing purple, Kraken smiled. They would be effective indeed, with his servant's increase in their spell knowledge. "Very good… I have a mission for you, and it might be good for you to take them along with you."

"A mission, master?" The underling focused his eye even more on the Fiend of Water. "Against the Light Warriors?"

"Correct… well spotted." Kraken confirmed. "They may have the strength to slay Lich and Kary… but any strength falters against YOUR talents. That is, any strength except for mine."

"Of course." The minion looked over the Wizards of Marsh, both Blessed and non. "They will probably require a few hours to rest and prepare, then we shall go. May I ask as to where we should Warp, and as to specifics in our mission?"

"The Ice Cave." Kraken informed him. "Go there, and disperse the Wizards throughout the cave. As for yourself, you know where the treasure we hid in that cave is. Go there. The Light Warriors will come to you. And when they do…" He chuckled disgustingly, and his greatest servant grinned as well.

"It shall be done."

----------------------------

"All right, we're here." Luke announced as the Light Warriors walked into the Circle of Sages for the second time.

"About time, too." Orric the dwarf grumbled. "Ya got back yesterday, dintya?"

"They deserved some time to rest and recover." Vallash disagreed. "Especially young Vlad."

"It looks like it did you good." Merton, the mages' trainer, raised an appraising eyebrow. "You seem much improved by your encounter, Vlad."

"Perhaps I am… but more importantly, our mission succeeded." The Black Mage produced the glowing Orb of Fire. "The threat of Kary is gone, and half of our enemies are slain."

"Indeed… well done, all of you." Lukahn nodded. "But now we must come to the remaining two Fiends. Not only are they stronger than Lich and Kary, but it will also be much more difficult to even get to them."

"How's that work?" Drake frowned, thinking. "We'd go for Kraken first, and he's in the Sea Shrine off of Onrac, right? We'd just sail the _Amphitrite_ there across… the… ocean…" He slowly broke off. "Oh."

"Exactly." Arisham agreed grimly. "If you try and cross the waters to get to Kraken's turf, you'll be close enough to his center of power for him to tear that ship to shreds. And as for Tiamat… the only way to get to here is in the center of the Yahnikurm Desert, which used to be most of the lands of Gaia and Lefein. Now, though, it's a total wasteland, and it's surrounded by mountains that it'd take you years to climb. There's no other way in there by land."

"I'm guessing that you have an alternative in mind, then?" Mary inquired.

"Exactly." Lukahn glanced at the Lefeinish woman. "Lashee?"

"How much do you know about my people's culture, young warriors?" She asked. Luke and Drake both looked at each other, then turned to the Mages.

"Not much." Vlad admitted. "Tiamat didn't leave much for the mages of Gaia to salvage… although I think now that Merton knew more than he was letting on. Regardless, all we learned was that your civilization was far more advanced than the rest of the world… that you had even expanded into the sky, and created a floating palace for the Element of Air." He paused. "No, there was something else… the legend of the Sky Warriors."

"Sky Warriors?" Luke blinked.

"Five of Lefein's greatest warriors… brave, but misguided." Lashee explained. "When Tiamat rose, before the other Fiends, it was in the Sky Palace… she quickly asserted her domination of the sky, and destroyed nearly all of our other works that partook of it. This included our pride and joy… the airships."

"Airships… ships that fly…" Drake muttered. "There was an old guy in Elfland who'd tell me stories about them when I was a kid… said they ran on magical stones that defied gravity. I thought it was just a story, though."

"It was not." Lashee stated firmly. "Though most of them were brought down by Tiamat, one remained. The Sky Warriors took it, vowing to confront Tiamat. One week later, it was returned to us, completely intact and unharmed. Exploring it, we found five bats below deck."

"Nasty." Luke remarked after a moment's thought. "What happened to them?"

"They flew away… none know of their fate now." Lashee shook her head. "After that, my people decided to hide the airship away where none could find it. Separating its power core, they were both concealed. Shortly after that, Tiamat destroyed most of our lands, and knowledge of the hiding places was lost… until the prophecy."

"…I get it." Mary slowly grinned. "If WE can find this Airship, Kraken won't be able to keep us away, and we'll be able to get to the Yahnikurm too."

"Exactly." Kalabak, the Sage of Crescent Lake, echoed Lukahn. "Here's the bad news. The power core is in the Ice Cave… a frozen pit in the northern part of the country. Despite its proximity to the volcano, one step in and you're in a frozen hellhole. And many of the monsters there have absorbed its essence."

"This is sounding awfully familiar, and awfully bad." Drake moaned. "It's the Marsh Cave's bigger, badder brother."

"That's a pretty accurate description, actually." Vallash agreed. "Don't worry-you fellas are bigger and badder now too. And hey, once you've got the core the rest is easy… the ship itself is buried in the Ryukahn Desert to the south. Compared to the Cave, it's a cakewalk… all you gotta do is take the Floater in there, and it'll bring the thing up, so you don't even have to dig."

"So, how do we get to this Ice Cave? More playing with the river system?" Luke guessed.

"Yup." Kalabak handed him another map. "There you go… that'll be all you need. Just trust in your own power, and you will succeed."

"It's all well and good to say that, but I'm glad I found these in the Volcano anyways." Luke tapped on his new armor and shield. "Is that it, then? Can we head back to town? We'll leave tomorrow, I guess…"

"Actually…" Macgreyson, the dragon sage, raised his voice. "There is one more thing. Once you have procured the Airship, before you brace the Fiend of Water… my king, Bahamut, requests your presence."

"Bahamut? The king of the dragons?" Drake's eyes widened.

"Indeed." Macgreyson nodded. "He, and the rest of my kind, now dwell on the Cardia Isles since their exile from our homeland. Bahamut sent word to me, having felt the deaths of the Fiends of Earth and Fire. He wishes to meet you personally, perhaps to assist you in your mission."

"I'd call that a side trip that's worth the time." Mary noted. "Guys?"

"Sounds good to me." Luke agreed, and the other two nodded. "Now we've got even more reason to want to survive the Ice Cave, eh?"

"Like we needed more reason?" Drake snorted. "Still, that should help… thanks for the word."

"Just doing my job." Macgreyson shrugged. "Good luck to you all, then."

"We'll need it." Vlad muttered, chuckling and shaking his head. "But we should be used to this sort of thing by now. Career hazard."

"Knew I should have been a lawyer." Drake sighed. "Oh well, bit late for a change in careers now."

"Why do I NOT want to think about how good you would have been at knowing the loopholes in laws and exploiting them?" Mary grinned. Luke looked at the three of them, one at a time, and groaned.

"You too, Vlad? That's it, I'm getting a beer." He led the way back to down, muttering, as the others laughed and followed.

----------------------------

The rooms in Crescent Lake's finest inn had been reserved for them long ahead of time; each Light Warrior had a huge set of chambers to themselves, containing even things such as a stove, a bookshelf, and a fireplace. For obvious reasons, before their trip to Gurgu, the latter had been unused by Vlad. Now, though, late at night with all the others fast asleep, he removed his hat, stoked the flames until they were in full blaze, then held the Orb of Fire tightly, looking at them.

"Can we talk?" He asked, as the Element of Fire's face slowly appeared in the leaping flames.

"Of course." She smiled. "I told you, any time you want… although I'm surprised you're not sleeping."

"It was… nice." Vlad admitted. "But I can't really think too clearly when that's going on, and I'd like to talk with you for a bit with my head clear."

"Fair enough." Fire's eyes closed. "Hold on… let me try something. This close to the Volcano, I might be able to…" The flames grew, then erupted out in the shape of her human form, standing on the brick before the fireplace. "Good. Thought I could do that, but I wasn't sure."

"Just try not to ignite the carpet… or the wood under it." Vlad cautioned with a smirk. "The innkeeper likes us, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"I'll be good." She winked. "For now, anyways. Now then… what did you want to talk about?"

"You said that you and the others created us, to some extent… as the Light Warriors." Vlad remembered. "And you were responsible for the Prophecy, too, weren't you?"

"Yes." Fire admitted. "The four of us reached out, centuries into the future, and attempted to set into motion the downfall of our opposites. The prophecy was first… we saw who the Sages would be, and sent the message to them. So as to make sure that nobody else would interfere with it-especially the Fiends-we made it deliberately vague and confusing, but gave the Sages enough time to figure it out. It's an old method, but a good one."

"I was wondering about that." The Black Mage admitted. "It seemed like it would be easier to just say what was meant right out, but I suppose this way makes more sense now when I think about it that way."

"Indeed… and then we each looked for our champions." The Element continued. "We each decided the traits we would value the most in somebody who would hold our Orbs, the physical symbols of who and what we are. For Earth, it was an underdog, somebody who didn't rely on their own strength but made themselves a hero through pure guts and an undying will. For Water, it was a truly positive view on the world, and a desire to help others, to aid in any way necessary. For Air, it was a leader who would hold the others up when they needed it, and stand by them against any opponent, with courage and strength. And for me… a Light Warrior with wisdom and will, whose control of magic reflected a burning heart." She paused. "And, if we're being absolutely honest, who liked blowing things up." Vlad snickered at that.

"I'll have to tell you about an incident with a puffer fish some time, then…" He sobered. "Anyways… so, did you know exactly what every minute of my life would be like, or…"

"No, not that detailed." Fire shook her head. "For one, I had no idea what Kary would do to you… if I could have seen that, I probably wouldn't have let myself get so caught up in preparing for you."

"It happens… that's over now." Vlad shrugged it off. "And I certainly don't mind it now that it's you. But that does bring up another point… now that you and Earth are back, can't you just tell us what to do clearly?" Fire winced.

"I'd like to, but… well, how to put this…" She thought for a moment. "All right… you know how when you first wake up, you have a weird, slow-minded feeling, and can't really think too well?" Vlad nodded. "Well, we've just been doing our equivalent of that for centuries. We can still manage the basic parts of our jobs and all that, and I still remember the Prophecy, but the actual details of the rest of it are beyond me for now… I'm afraid I won't remember the specifics until I finish totally waking up, which won't be for a while. I can't even control all of my power yet… it's a bit of a slow process, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"It's okay." The Black Mage assured her. "We've managed so far… we'll do so in the future too."

"I know you can." Fire smiled. "Are you going to keep wearing that hat forever? You look fine without it, you know…"

"I'm thinking about getting rid of it once my body recovers from all those years on below-minimum sleep." Vlad admitted. "I have gone through a pretty serious change in outlook to a lot of things recently… I should probably do something to reflect that." He thought for a moment. "There was… one more thing. Kary… when she died, she said something about us becoming worse than them, more powerful… what was that all about?"

"She was referring to how you were different from other humans." The Element explained. "Potentially, the threat does exist… you killed a Fiend, twice. Admittedly, it was four on one, and you had the Orbs, but you still did it. As a group, you're stronger than any other mortals in existence… by the end of this, you will be individually as well. But I don't think it'll actually happen. What Kary couldn't see was that all of you have parts of you, things in you, that will keep you from falling onto that path… none of you value power for its own sake. You only want it in order to uphold what is important to you… and as long as you keep those ideals as your first and foremost goal, that which Kary wished for will never come to pass." Despite her calming words, Fire's face was unhappy, strange… almost as if afraid of something.

"It won't, then." Vlad decided. "I won't let that happen. Never."

"Promise me… please." Now the fear was evident in Fire's voice. "Promise me you'll never turn."

"I promise." Vlad spoke firmly. "But… tell me why. Something's wrong… I can tell."

"It's… that you can." Fire looked away. "This is… I've never told a mortal before, but you…" She looked back, then buried her face in her hands. "It… happens to everybody with power. The lure, the thought of abusing it… but you can resist it. We… can't. We try, but we have to tamper a little here, change things a little there, and we can't put that behind us. It mounts up, and we start doing it more… become corrupt… and turn into the Fiends." She looked up at him desperately. "We become them… we MAKE them, make ourselves into them, and we can't stop ourselves no matter what we know of it. That's why I need you to promise me you won't do the same, Vlad… that you never will, that you'll always be with me, to help me… to help me hold Kary back as much as possible, and to kill her again when she finally comes. Please… I need you. Help me." All of the power and presence the Element normally held was gone now, and she crouched before him in open pleading.

"I already promised… and I'll do so again, as many times as you need me to." Vlad stepped forward and embraced her without flinching, the flames that made her up never once searing him. "If you made me what I am, then you should know… that's part of me, the deepest part. My emotions… anything I feel, I feel very strongly. And that includes what I feel for you, most of all. If it's for you, I can stand tall forever, without falling… and I'll purge Kary, and bring you back to me, forever too."

"Thank you…" Fire whispered. "It was worth it, then… it was all worth it."

"Yes… it was." Vlad agreed. After a few more moments, he stepped back.

"On that note, I guess I should be getting to bed… we're hitting the Ice Cave tomorrow."

"Oh yes… the Floater…" Fire nodded. "Be careful. Kraken and Tiamat will be getting worried now… it's likely they'll interfere. I'll see you in dreamland." The fire dimmed and went out, and Vlad soon fell asleep. And he dreamed.

----------------------------

The trip through the river system to the Ice Cave was longer than the one to Gurgu had been; it took up the entire day, and the Light Warriors used a portable cabin outside to spend the night before going inside.

"I'll use Anti-Ice here… we'll likely need it." Mary told the others, covering them with silvery-white crystalline shards. "There."

"Right, then." Drake glanced at the deceptively simple-looking cavern before them. "No sense in putting it off any more, then. In we go." Inside, the tunnel quickly widened in all directions, becoming vast and deep and, above all, freezing. The stones did not glow; they were a dead gray, and Mary's modified Lamp spell was needed to show them the way. When they finally reached the end of the hall, they turned a corner to stare into the eyes of the familiar faces belonging to the Wizards of Marsh. A lot of them this time… seven to be exact.

"Aw, not you guys again!" Luke growled, recovering first and slicing one in half, then blinking as all six others leveled their staffs and sent him flying. Before they could attack again, lightning bolts spread out and fried them all in one fell swoop.

"Amateurs." Vlad looked back at the Fighter. "You okay?"

"Nothing a healing potion or two couldn't fix. Or three." Luke grunted, downing them. "Right then. What do you suppose they're doing here?"

"Well, they worked for Lich, right?" Drake shrugged. "Maybe they went over to another Fiend after his death."

"Some people just can't do anything themselves." Mary shook her head. "Right, let's keep going." Continuing on, they went down the sloping halls beyond until they reached a fork. As they were about to choose one, Drake suddenly pulled them into the other.

"Voices coming this way." The elf hissed in explanation. Peering around the corner, the Light Warriors saw three more of the Wizards of Marsh, but altered ones. All color had faded from their bodies into a dead white, and the robes they wore were now a rich purple. Simultaneously, the eyes of all four Light Warriors went to the glittering drops of water embedded in the enemies' foreheads, glowing the same color as their robes.

"Where the hell are those clowns?" One of them hissed. "They went up on patrol ten minutes ago, they should be back by now…"

"I'm telling you, it's the Light Warriors. They're here." Another growled. "We'll find them, and then…"

"He might be right-somebody's coming." The first one noted. From the direction the Light Warriors had come, more humanoid figures advanced-not Wizards this time, but four Dark Elves, though they were similarly transformed, pale white and gray. Their foreheads held not water, but green bits of cloud. The transformed Wizards drew themselves up and glared. "Oh… you. Tiamat's pawns. Mages."

"Well, if it isn't some of Kraken's lackeys. Sorcerers." One of the Dark Elves shot back. "Let me guess, you came here to try and head off the Light Warriors? Well, you can just head back home, then… we've got this covered."

"Is that so? But there's another issue here." The Sorcerers leveled their staffs. "A bunch of our less-blessed buddies went missing, and in the direction you came from. Not too hard to guess what happened."

"I'm warning you, stay back!" The Mage leader yelled, hurling a familiar white cube into the chest of one Sorcerer. The Rub spell took effect, and he pitched over, but the other two charged, uncaring.

"You're warning US?" One laughed as their staffs smacked into the Mage leader and another. Both froze, eyes wide, then fell over, stone dead. Laughing, the Sorcerers rounded on the remaining two. One fell just as easily, but before a staff touched him, the last finished a spell of his own, and thousands of lightning bolts shot out of him, rapid-fire, puncturing the two Sorcerers. With one last effort, the leader tapped him with his staff, and all of them died.

"…Well." Drake spoke after a few moments of awestruck silence. "This is suddenly going to take a lot longer. We're going to have to be very careful, to avoid those psychos at all costs. BOTH of them. With instant-death spells that readily available, we do NOT want to fight these guys."

"Definitely… I'm not THAT good at reviving the dead. I can only do it a couple times without resting." Mary agreed. "Let's be cautious." Sneaking around carefully, dodging around corners and stalagmites, the Light Warriors continued downward, dodging enemies from both Water and Air. Unfortunately, the same could not be done for the monsters of ice. Wolves and Giants, having absorbed the cave's magic, bore down on them with much more accuracy and had to be killed by swords and fire from Vlad. Eventually they walked into a room with two treasure chests in the back, one larger than the other… with a deep moat in the floor around them, far too wide for even Drake to jump.

"It's gotta be in there." Drake motioned the larger chest, then glared at the pit. "Of course, it can't be that easy. Any hope either of you knows a spell for levitating or flying or something?"

"Sorry… no such luck." Mary shook her head.

"None I'd trust to get us across that… closest thing is propulsion, like I used against Kary, and this room's ceiling is too low for that." Vlad echoed. "Speaking of the ceiling… check that out." He indicated a hole in said ceiling, above the chests. "If that leads to an upper level, falling down it would bring us to the chest."

"So… we have to go back up there and find that?" Luke wondered.

"No… the section of the cave we've been through so far never went above this room." Vlad disagreed after some thought. "We'll probably have to drop down there, and then climb back up to ground level." He indicated the pit. Drake looked down and winced.

"About ten feet. Won't kill us, but it'll be rough. At least I can't see any traps down there."

"If there's no other way…" Luke sighed. "Let me just check this out first…" In the smaller chest was a sword, the direct opposite of the one from Gurgu… this blade was red and gold, its crossguard a leaping flame. "Don't tell me… flame-enchanted. It'll come in handy against the ice monsters. Right, let's go." Standing side by side at the edge of the trench, the Light Warriors jumped in, and landed with grunts of pain. It was only when they did that they saw the mass of undead before them. Wraiths and Images, Specters and Geists, evil spirits in droves turned to glare.

"Damnation." Vlad began to cast a spell, but Mary held up a hand.

"Wait. I've got this." A globe of holy light appeared in her hands, too bright to look at directly, and floated forward before exploding like a miniature sun, only for a moment but long enough to melt the undead into nothingness. It faded, and the room was empty save for them.

"New level of holy magic… nice." Drake whistled. "Sure cleaned this area up…" He walked forward, then jumped back, swearing. "Some kind of slush on the floor-hurts to touch!"

"This must be the bottom of the ice cave… the cold is worse down here. Even my Anti-Ice can't completely guard against it." Mary realized. "We'll just have to walk through it fast." Gritting their teeth, they forced their way through it to the end of the tunnel and through a door.

"Looks like you were right, Vlad… there's a ladder going up." Luke saw. "Weird statues next to it, though…" Drake began shaking.

"Uh… Luke… I don't think those are statues." The twin great reptiles, dragons of blue and white, ice and cold, slowly moved and glared at them.

"You are the Light Warriors… mistress Tiamat was right that you would come." One hissed.

"You made it this far… well done." The other agreed. "But now you shall die! Freeze and perish!" They both opened their maws, and blizzards erupted, burying all Light Warriors in ice. But in the white mass, something red was visible. A massive sphere of fire, that rushed through and melted the snow, slammed into the dragons and mashed them flat against the walls, screaming.

"That won't be enough! Go!" Vlad yelled.

"Right!" Luke drew his new Fire Sword, and Drake his trusty Dragon Sword, and they converged on one. Drake struck first, slicing into the armored neck then jumping back-even with the enchantment, he was unable to mortally cut through the Ice Dragon's throat. Luke's followup blow, though, aimed at the first cut, finished the job, and the dragon's head flew.

"Not enough…" Its companion snarled, releasing its breath attack again. "We are dragonkin, foolish mortals! We do not die so easily-" Its voice broke off as another titanic fireball blew it to shreds.

"Shows what you know." Vlad grunted from under the snow. "But damn, this hurts… a little help here?" A red glow suffused the room, and the snow blanketing them all melted away into steam, warm but not painfully so.

"There you go." Fire's voice followed it. "Sorry I can't do more."

"It's fine." Mary began casting her healing spells. "I've got this part." Once everybody was done, Luke looked down at the slain dragons.

"Thought so… just like that Fire Dragon." Treasure chests were sitting below their feet-and like the sword he had found, they held opposites of the most valuable gear from Gurgu. A breastplate and a shield, both of ice. "Huh… well, don't really need these now, since we're pretty much through with fighting fire."

"Keep 'em anyways." Drake suggested. "You never know. We can just stow 'em on the ship." Luke nodded and stuffed both into his pack. "Right, up the ladder we go…" Climbing, they reached another floor. More ice wolves and ice giants stalked them, but they were easier prey with the flame sword now in Luke's hands. At the end of the path, stairs led up, to daylight… and at the foot of said stairs, a hole.

"It leads down to that chest, all right." Drake looked down. "We'll have to go down, get it, jump in the moat again and climb all the way back up here a second time." Luke winced.

"Oh well, no helping it. Let's go." They jumped down, then turned to look at the chest. "Right, let's pop that sucker open."

"I think not…" A voice hissed from above the chest. In the empty air, an eye appeared. An orb the size of their heads, it stared at them, and then a skull appeared around it, gray and mistlike, maw filled with fangs. Faded around the edges, it looked only partially real, but its danger was apparent. "Lord Kraken has sent me to kill you all… you will not gain the Floater. I will stop you, here and now."

"Great, first the ones in charge of Tiamat's lackeys here, now Kraken's buddy?" Luke growled, staring at it fearlessly. "Well, we'll…" He trailed off, then pitched forward, lifeless.

"What the hell?" Drake yelled.

"Don't look at its eye! Don't!" Mary yelled, voice filled with fear. "That thing, that… Eye… it kills with visual contact!"

"Well spotted…" The Eye laughed. "But it won't be enough to save you!"

"Probably won't have time to revive him here…" Mary realized, thinking out loud. "We'll have to kill it first! Drake, switch swords-it's magical!"  
"Huh? Oh, right… almost forgot I had this!" Drake pulled the Rune Sword out from his pack. "Yo, Vlad, shot of Fast please!" Green magic washed over his blade as he charged.

"No problem." The Black Mage followed with a spray of lightning that edged around Drake to strike the Eye, forcing him off balance and leaving him open. The Rune Sword slashed at the leathery flesh around the skull, and the Eye snarled.

"Don't get cocky… I'm not that easily slain!" He stared at the Thief, who did not meet his gaze, and with a thump Drake flew away, skidding across the floor and stopping just short of falling into the trench.

"Ow… something hit me?" He struggled back to his feet.

"He can cast spells with his eye too!" Vlad growled, unleashing a fireblast. "Die, you freak…" He prepared to cast another spell, then froze, skin and robes turning grey… hard… stone.

"Can you reverse THAT?" Drake asked Mary as he ran past the statue. "Because we're dead without BOTH of them!"

"No problem!" The White Mage spilled a potion over Vlad, and he softened back to life, wincing.

"Damn you… does ALL your magic use vision?"

"It took you this long to figure that out?" The Eye laughed, then screamed as Drake's rapid strokes took its jaw off. "Whelp, you'll PAY for that-what?" It gasped as a black cloud congealed around its optic. "What in… what did you DO?"

"Blind, of course." Vlad snorted. "Can't see now… and with you, that means you're helpless. Drake?"

"Oh yeah." The Elf took his time lining up the shot, then stabbed out, impaling the eye in one massive thrust and continuing on into the beast's brain. Shuddering and convulsing, it went limp.

"I'll start reviving him, then…" Mary bent over Luke's body, while the Thief and the Black Mage walked past their slain foe and opened the chest. Inside was a white rock, perfectly spherical, and faintly glowing. Drake picked it up, then blinked as his feet left the floor.

"Whoa! Power core to an airship nothing… this thing is incredible! What'd he call it, the Floater?"

"If you'll allow me?" Vlad took the stone, and Drake immediately dropped. "As I thought… only one at a time."

"Bah." Drake shook his head. "Oh well, at least we can just go back up through that hole and get out of here quickly."

"Fair enough." Vlad conceded as Luke sat up, groaning and rubbing his head.

"Oh, my achin' skull… is the fight still going on, or-oh." He saw the dead Eye, then the Floater. "You guys won it without me, huh? Good job!"

"Well, it wasn't a Fiend or anything." Mary reasoned. "Well then… shall we get out of here?"

"Oh yes." Vlad agreed fervently. "Never thought I'd be saying this a week ago, but I am seriously in need of some more heat."

"Dude, I do NOT want to know." Drake muttered as the Floater carried him up towards the cave's exit.

----------------------------

"About time you got back!" Bikke hollered over the side of the _Amphitrite_ as the small canoe came downriver towards it. "All the monsters've been scared off around here! We been forced to settle fer fightin' bushes an' rocks an' stumps!"

"You're a maniac, Bikke." Drake chuckled as the canoe pulled up. "No trees?"

"Nah, sap takes forever to get off." Bikke looked over the canoe and whistled. "Say, that thing's a beauty. Who'dja steal it from?"

"We didn't." Mary shook her head, smiling despite herself. "The Sages of Crescent Lake gave it to us. As a present."

"Right, right, a present, I got it." Bikke nodded. "Law enforcement asks, we'll tell 'em that. Got it. But we should probably head off before they decide they want their present back, eh?"

"I… uh… argh, never mind." Luke hauled himself aboard by a rope, with the others behind him. "Yeah, sure, let's go. And don't rush it, ah? Might as well make the last trip enjoyable."

"Last trip?" Bikke frowned. "What, are ya givin' up or somethin'? That ain't no way to get ahead, lad."

"No, no." Drake assured him. "We whupped Kary. It's just that we won't be needing to bother you any more. It's… well, we'll explain on the way. You know where the Ryukahn Desert is? That's what we want."

"Right, it's less than a day south o' here." Bikke shrugged, frowning. "Well, whatever. Yer the bossmen. Pull up the anchor, lads, and try not to lodge it in the dock this time!"

"Yeah, the guys at Crescent might be just a BIT irritated about that." Drake chuckled as he helped some of the pirates haul the canoe aboard. "Anyways, here's how it goes… you've been around for a while, heard all kinds of stories, right? Ever hear any about an airship?"

"You kiddin', son? That's the first one I ever heard, back when I was cabin boy on ol' Captain Greenskin's ship!" Bikke grinned. "Good times, when I wasn't catchin' stuff to the head. But yah, I heard all those stories 'bout the Lefeinish. Almost believed 'em too, when I was a brat, but there's no way… wait." The light of realization slowly dawned.

"Are you seriously telling us you're going to get an airship?" Mr. Smite blinked as he tied the canoe down to the deck. "That's stretching belief a bit far, fellas… although, I have to admit…" He glanced at Bikke, who nodded.

"If anybody could, it'd be you fellas." The old pirate captain harrumphed. "An' if ya do, you sure won't be needin' this old tub no more, that's for certain."

"We've had some good times, haven't we?" Drake leaned against the rail, watching a couple pirates roll out a barrel. "And we didn't even get arrested once."

"Yah, that was a nice change." Bikke sighed. "Gotta admit, I'll miss ya crazy kids. Funny thing is, we might not actually be doin' much in the way of your whole hero act 'cept sailin' and waitin' around, but I haven't been tempted to go back to the ol' pirate act even once. You've gone and rubbed off on me, fellas. That was mighty unkind of ya."

"You have our full apologies." Vlad snorted. "Would it help if I admitted to feeling an urge to get in a bar fight recently?"

"A bar fight with magic? Now that's just mean." Mr. Smite winced. "Broken stools and smashed merchandise are one thing, but…"

"What the hell is mer… can… whatever yeh said?" Bikke demanded of his first mate. "Look at you, yer getting' a freakin' vocabulary offa them!" He paused. "I'm doin' it too! Argh!"

"Let's just have some drinks before this gets worse." Luke opened the barrel and dipped out a mug. "It ain't a good farewell without them, right?"

"Just don't have too much. I'd prefer it if we actually made it to the Ryukahn in one piece." Mary sighed.

"Well, then, we're lucky you're here to keep an eye on us, aren't we?" Drake grinned cheekily as he took a mug for himself.

"Be careful, or she might join in just to spite you." Vlad warned, doing so himself.

"Ah… that's the good stuff." Bikke downed his mug in one go and took a refill. "So, where ya headed after this, anyways?"

"Well, seems the fellas on the Cardia Islands want to have some words with us… and not in the bad way." Drake reflected. "More like the free-loot way. After that, it's to Onrac… give Kraken what he's got coming to him."

"Sounds like a party, all right." Bikke looked up at the clouds. "Cardia, eh… never been there. Not even we're nuts enough to try lootin' and pillagin' from dragons. Onrac, though… that's the opposite. It's me homeland, you know… been a while since I've been back, though." He glanced at the canoe. "Ye'll want to be takin' that baby with ya, fer sure… just in case the airship ain't perfect. When ya do, watch out… the water monsters are the toughest ones around up there, as ya might have guessed."

The trip down to Ryukahn took the rest of the day, but it still seemed too fast; as the sun set, they dropped the anchor in a secluded inlet and headed ashore. For once, the pirates all accompanied them, claiming to want to see this with their own eyes.

"All right, time to take this out…" Mary removed the Floater from her pack, covered in thick cloth-enough to dampen its effects on the holder. Now she unwrapped it, and the pirates blinked as she began to rise. "The Sages said when we get near it, it should start responding to its other half… aha!" She dropped to the ground, and the stone began glowing white. "Got it… this way." After a few more minutes walking in the indicated direction, the ground suddenly began to shake. "This is it, then… get down!" Following her advice, pirates and Light Warriors both hurled themselves to the sand as it began rising up in massive clouds around them, as something massive came up from beneath the earth, displacing the ancient sands covering it as it came. After a few minutes, it subsided, and those present pulled themselves up, cleared the sand from their faces, and looked upon the world's last airship.

"Holy hell…" Luke was the only one who could speak, staring up at the vessel of the skies that was now sitting on the Ryukahn Desert as if it had only been parked there a short time ago. The base model was a ship similar to the _Amphitrite_ in both size and appearance, but in place of the sails, huge propellers towered over them. Additional modifications had been made to the rails and cabins, and clawed feet allowed it to rest on land without tipping over. The final piece of the image was complete as the sand blew away from the nameplate on the ship's side; _Icarus_.

"I'd say just seeing that alone was worth the Ice Cave, let alone owning the damn thing." Vlad shook his head. "The Fiends don't know what they've got coming to them. We've won our wings."

"I'd say so." Mary agreed, then glanced at Bikke and the other pirates, who were staring with slack jaws. "What do you think, guys?"

"Now THAT's what I call a SHIP!" Bikke recovered first. "Never thought I'd see something that'd make me give up the seas… but I guess there's no such thing as impossible." He suddenly grinned at them. "So… do any of ya know how to work THIS one?"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Drake shot back without thinking. "I guess we'll just have to… wait. Wait. Are you saying YOU…"

"Haven't a clue!" Bikke admitted cheerfully. "But I figure once the damn thing gets started, we'll probably be able to handle 'er better than you fellas."

"We DO have a certain amount of experience in the profession." Mr. Smite agreed, grinning as well. One by one, the other pirates followed suit.

"You know, I really should have expected this." Vlad chuckled. "Somehow, I never really figured you for the type to bow out of the trip halfway through."

"Hell no, son! We're in for the haul!" Bikke backflipped theatrically and did a kick. "'Sides, I still owe Kraken for a typhoon when I was thirty! Looks like this baby will take us all, and me ol' _Amphitrite_'s nice and snug in that cove… why the hell not?"

"The more the merrier, I guess." Mary agreed. "Well, Luke?"

"Why are you asking me?" The Fighter complained. "We already all know what we're gonna do."

"Because you're fearless leader." Drake explained with a perfectly straight face. "It's a formality. These things have to be done the right way."

"Aren't fearless leaders supposed to get pay raises?" Luke muttered before giving in. "All right, everybody… and that means all of you… are we gonna stand around here all day, or are we gonna board that thing and take it to the sky?"

"Damn straight!" Bikke cheered as they began to climb dangling ropes onto the _Icarus_. "Watch your ass, Kraken… the Light Warriors and company are comin' for ya! Arr har har har har!"


	11. Chapter 10: I Am The Lizard King

**_Chapter 10: I Am The Lizard King_**

"Ah, Corneria is nice this time of year." Drake smiled, relaxing on the deck of the _Icarus_ as it flew up and away from Luke's homeland. "Nice to take a few days off."

"We deserved it, I think." Mary agreed. "It's not like Kraken or Tiamat-or Bahamut, for that matter-are going anywhere."

"Yeah…" Luke was leaning against the rail, watching Princess Sara wave goodbye from the highest tower in the castle. "Nice to see Sara again, too…" His face shifted to a grin. "Almost as nice as the look on my brother's face when we came tearing out of the sky with this sucker. Although I still say you didn't REALLY need to clip the castle roof like that, Bikke."

"Eh, so I'm still not used to steerin' in six directions 'steada just four." Bikke shrugged. "Cry me a brief spring shower."

"That goose you just ran down would agree with you, I think." Vlad noted. "That'll be a pain to scrape off the hull. No waves to do that any more."

By common consensus, the Light Warriors had agreed to stop by Corneria again for a few more days of rest on their way to the north. It was on the way, after all. The royal family had all been pleased to see their new acquisition (but not so pleased about their choice of pilot), and had wished them luck on their trip to Cardia. After some initial trouble, Bikke and his crew now seemed to have the running of the airship down flat. Testing of its capabilities showed that it moved at twice the speed of the _Amphitrite_ in full sail; they had reached Corneria from Crescent Lake in three days. Best of all, there were no fights; it seemed even those monsters capable of flying steered clear of the airship. This met with some grumbling from the pirates, who had wanted to test out some interesting weapons installed into the vessel on live targets, but the fun of flight kept that down, coupled with Drake's reminder that they would be taking on the Fiend of Air herself in the end. Corneria's taverns had mellowed them further, and it was a happy crew altogether that flew north through the clouds, towards the fabled Cardia Islands, where the dragons made their home.

"Hey… that dragon sage, Macgreyson, said something about them being exiled from their homeland." Drake looked over at the Mages. "Is that something you two know about? I thought the dragons always lived in Cardia." They both nodded.

"Actually, they've only lived on Cardia for about three hundred years." Vlad explained. "They're originally from the land of Drakyr… don't tell me you thought the name of that place was just a coincidence."

"I did think that was kind of odd." Luke admitted. "But I know about Drakyr now… it's nearly uninhabited. Complete wilderness… about the only people there are barbarians, like that Gakath guy in the Circle. What happened?"

"Tiamat." Mary frowned. "For some reason, she became obsessed with the dragons… and killing them wasn't enough. She actually managed to corrupt some of them… convert them into her cursed servants. The dragons made war, and in the end Tiamat's side won… the survivors of the good dragons were forced to flee to a new land, out of Tiamat's reach. They chose the Islands of Cardia for that, and they've lived their ever since, while their unlucky brethren remained enslaved to Tiamat… like Ifrit, and those two back in the Ice Cave."

"That ain't right." Luke growled. "Fighting is one thing… but making somebody go up against their own friends and family? Knowing they're not themselves and never will be, any more? Not even Lich and Kary were that bad…"

"Oh, yes they were." Vlad disagreed firmly. "They just never had the chance, or the thought, of doing that sort of thing. Fire's told me that Tiamat is the most intelligent of the four Fiends… couple that with the hatred and cruelty towards everything that lives that all four feel in every moment, and you've got what happened to the dragons. If the Fiends had their way, everybody and everything would suffer that same fate before dying as horribly as possible."

"That won't happen." Mary shook her head. "It won't. We'll stop them from every doing something like that, ever again. And not just the dragons… I understand Kraken did something almost as bad to the merfolk."

"That he did, lass. That he did." Bikke confirmed, for once sounding dead serious. "Mind, I suppose it's not as bad as the mumbojumbo Tiamat did on the lizardy folks. But it was still a right bad turn they didn't deserve, and I'm not normally the sort to care about that sort of thing, so ya know it's big." He shrugged, relaxing. "But we'll get inta all that once we reach Onrac. Fer now, we got other things to worry about… like if the dragons know who I am. Normally, I'm all fer fightin' off hostile welcome parties, but dragons are somethin' else altogether."

"Don't worry… if Bahamut invited us personally through Macgreyson, I'm sure he knows about you and knows you're on our side." Drake shrugged. "And if not, we'll yell at the guys and show the Orbs until they back down. Just think of us as your ID badge into restricted ports."

"Ain't HAD no restricted ports before." Bikke complained. "Just ports I didn't want to go to and ports where I didn't give a damn what they thought." He sighed theatrically. "Oh well, hazards of bein' a law-abidin' sort now and all that. Pillar of the community, that's me."

"You're a trooper, Bikke." Mary laughed. "You can handle it."

"Suppose it's not nearly as bad as that grape shot to the face I took when I was twenty." The pirate captain admitted. "Only reason I lived through that is 'cause the dumbasses on the other side thought they was actually supposed to load grapes inta the cannon. Killed me hat, though."

"Would those enemy pirates have happened to be ogres, by any chance?" Drake inquired. There was a pause in the conversation as all aboard considered the mental image of ogre pirates, then shuddered in unison.

"Don't ever suggest that again." Mr. Smite growled from his position in the back of the deck-with a crow's nest impractical, lookout duty had gotten more complicated and required several spots around the rails. "The peg legs… uggggh."

"It was the hooks that got me." Vlad winced. "The wizard ogres in Gurgu were bad enough. Ogre pirates? Just plain wrong. Not even the Fiends would go that far, and that's saying something."

"Well… not unless one of them chomped a kind of mushroom we've got in Elfland." Drake amended. "I'm pretty sure it would make even the Fiends see some things a little differently."

"Remind me to never let you do the cooking." Mary noted.

The next day, specks on the horizon gradually drew closer, and became the Cardia Islands. There were five of them, long, strip-shaped landmasses rising out of the ocean, two of them covered with strange, tropical trees. And from those trees, rising into the sky, dragons came, their scales blue and yellow and red and every other color, to watch the airship come to their home. Two of them, purple and pink, flew over and landed on the airship.

"Hey there." The purple-scaled, larger one grinned at them. "You'd be the Light Warriors, then? Nice to meet you… this is Huan, and I'm Razie. I suppose you'd call us the guys in charge of the guards. Welcome to Cardia."

"Nice to meet you, too." Luke nodded in agreement. "You've got us pegged, all right. I'm Luke, the guy with the goofy grin is Drake, the lady's Mary and the fella in the hat is Vlad… the rest of these jokers are Bikke the Pirate's crew."

"Oh, we know about them too." Huan smirked, speaking with a surprisingly feminine voice. "Crescent Lake sent us all the details, including a rap sheet almost as long as Kraken's." She raised an eyebrow. "Was the incident with the mayor of that fishing town on Onrac's coast REALLY necessary?" For once, Bikke actually looked embarrassed.

"I was hopin' nobody'd remember that…" He muttered. "I was eighteen, I was drunk, I was stupid… things happen."

"If you call Red Caribes things, yes, I suppose they do." Huan chuckled before letting it drop. "All right, we'll show you where to park this thing. We live on all the islands, but you'll probably want to drop onto the one where his Majesty lives."

"That would be best, yeah." Drake agreed, looking down at the islands. "So which one is it? Please tell me it's not that tiny little one… Bikke's landing skills aren't too sharp yet."

"Let's see you try and do it then, elf boy." The Pirate shot back.

"I'll pass."

"Thought ya would."

"No, it's not." Razie cut the squabbling off. "It's the western one with all the trees on it."

"Almost as bad." Bikke grumbled. "We figure this thing shouldn't do landing on lots of trees. I'll just have to try and get it on one of those clear spots near the coast…" Slowly, steadily, he brought the airship into a frozen halt in the air. "Right, look over the edge and see if I'm over the right spot."

"We can do more than that!" Razie grinned as he and Huan dived over the edge. "Okay… a little to your right!"

"Starboard." Drake clarified.

"Yeah, yeah." Bikke moved the ship accordingly. "Now?"

"You're good." Huan yelled. "Bring it down!" Bikke did so, and the propellers slowly began winding down, the ship descending to earth. The two dragon were waiting for them as the four Light Warriors disembarked. "Hm? Not coming, Bikke?"

"I don't exactly have a good track record with royalty." The Pirate admitted. "We just tend to stay on board. Got any monsters on these places to keep ourselves busy with?"

"Plenty." Razie confirmed. "Catmen, manticores, saurias, sphinxes, wyrms, and more."

"We'll be just fine then." Bikke waved. "Go on with yeh, kiddies, meet the king! We'll be here when yer ready to go!"

"Just don't get yourself a wanted level in this place too!" Drake waved as they followed the two dragons towards a large, round cave mouth. Entering, they found that the halls led down through an entire underground city; meeting and intersecting the same way streets would in a human city, doors set all along the sides leading to private residences and places of work. Friendly dragons of widely varied size and color walked by busily, pausing to smile and wave as the visitors continued to their destinations. "So, what's the deal here? We heard his Majesty wanted to meet with us, but that was about it."

"We're not really sure ourselves." Razie admitted. "Ever since the Dragon War, his Majesty has been… vague, may be the best way to put it. He tends to spend most of his days in solitude, and rarely concerns himself with worldly matters. But when Macgreyson had his revelation, he began taking an interest in that… and then you came. We all felt it here when you killed Lich… it was like his Majesty was coming back to life after being dead inside for so long. And then Kary was slain as well, and his Majesty decided he could remain out of things no more. He's even sitting on his throne again now."

"You'll want to be careful with him regardless." Huan warned as they walked down the tunnel. "He's still moody and temperamental… and very cynical, after the Dragon War. Whatever you do, don't lose your own tempers… if things escalate too far, he might lose control of himself, and…"

"And we do NOT want a brawl with your king in his own throne room." Luke shuddered. "Believe me, we agree. We'll be VERY careful."

"Excellent." Razie nodded approvingly. "Here we are, then…" He and Huan paused in front of a pair of dragon-sized double doors, with the face of one of their kind engraved on them. "He'll want to see you alone… good luck." Nodding, the Light Warriors walked through, and into the throne room of the Dragon King.

"Ah… you have come." A coarse, rusty voice echoed through the empty hall from the huge form at the back. Despite his size, Bahamut seemed far smaller than he could; this was due to the way he was hunched over, squatting low on the ancient throne. At first, his scales seemed an dusty grey, but as they drew closer they saw that both him and his throne were covered in literal, real dust over scales black as coal. Even sitting and hunched over, wings covering him like a cloak, he towered a good fifteen feet tall, the same height Razie and Huan had reached standing. Eyes a dull, faded yellow, Bahamut looked down upon the Light Warriors as they approached his throne.

"Your Majesty." Luke saluted. "We've come as you requested, indeed. Thank you for inviting us to your home." Something flickered in the age-old eyes, and the Dragon King snorted.

"My home? This isn't my home. My home is in Drakyr. This? This is a hiding spot, for cowards who ran away. If that makes an impression on you, then you're welcome to it." He laughed, dark and grim, then stopped just as suddenly. "So. The Light Warriors, huh. Not as impressive as I thought you'd be. You four killed Lich and Kary, huh? Can't see that."

"Would you like some proof, your Majesty?" Drake replied, tone friendly and polite. Bahamut shook his head.

"No, it's not needed. I know they're dead, and if you were imposters you wouldn't have known to come here. Wouldn't have the guts, either. Still, looking at you, I wouldn't figure you bunch could take out that piddly vampire Lich had wearing his crown, let alone the big boy himself or little miss napalm. A beat cop from Corneria, an elvish street rat, and a couple bookworms who can make pretty lights and loud noises. This is what I've been waiting for ever since Macgreyson went funny in the head?"

"With respect, sir, sometimes you can't judge a book… or a bookworm… by their cover." Mary suggested. Bahamut's eyes narrowed oh-so-slightly.

"That so." Without a trace of warning, the dragon's tail shot out from beneath his wings, screaming around like a whip at their feet. Instantly, Vlad and Mary jumped it, Drake leaped next to Luke, and the two of them grabbed it, holding it back. Pulling it away, Bahamut nodded. "Not bad… didn't even get one of ya. You're balanced as a team, if not as individuals. Maybe, MAYBE, you could have brought down those two. If you got lucky."

"Damn right we did." Drake agreed. "And we'll bring the other two down the same way."

"No. You won't." Bahamut sighed heavily. "And don't think that's some macho bullshit, because it's not. It's a statement of fact. Lich and Kary? A jailbird and a lazy bum. But Kraken and Tiamat know you're coming, and they know you're serious, and you WON'T get lucky with them. And without that, the way you are now, you can't win. You're good, but not good enough."

"Are you offering suggestions to change that?" Vlad asked mildly. Bahamut grinned suddenly.

"Well, that all depends. You've faced down two Fiends so far, kids. With that in mind, let me ask you. Would you want to fight ME?" His eyes glimmered, and around him, the Light Warriors suddenly felt something in the air… power, like the Fiends but not exactly, not evil or cruel but wild and old and terrible.

"No, sir." Luke spoke for them all. "I don't think we'd want to do that."

"Good." Bahamut continued grinning. "Glad to hear that. Means you've got brains as well as guts. I don't know about Kraken, but I'm dead certain that Tiamat at least is even worse than I am… so if you're nervous about duking it out with me, you REALLY don't wanna throw down with the Fiend of Air just yet. Not like you are. On the other hand… what if I told you how you could get stronger? A lot stronger?"

"Let's hear the fine print first." Drake replied, and the Dragon King chuckled.

"Putting it simply… training. You've all had it with the Sages… now I'm giving you the chance to do some more, with the oldest, toughest, meanest mortal around. I can't take the Fiends, but I'm one person. You're four, and if I work with you for a month, you will. Guarantee it. But before I do that, you're gonna have to prove yourselves to me a little more. You know where Drakyr is?" They nodded. "Good. Up there's a castle. THAT's my home. We've got a tradition here, ever since we got kicked out. Anybody who goes there and comes back with something out of the throne room to prove they made it through, and busts up the asshole monsters infesting the place now, gets a title and bragging rights like whoa. Never been available to non-dragons before. S'called the Test of Courage. Pull it off, and I'll teach you." He leaned back a little. "It's up to you… your call. I won't try to order you, or make you do it. You want to, you can just decide I'm a senile old newt and never come back here. But I'm hoping you don't. 'Cause while what you are now may be better than most, it's still nothing compared to what you CAN be. If you'll let me, I'll bring out every bit of that potential, and we'll see how Kraken and Tiamat like that. Up to you."

"Well, guys?" Luke looked at the others. "Whaddaya say?"

"I'm in." Drake shrugged. "Man's gotta point… we'll need all the help we can get against those two."

"Agreed. If it's at all possible, I'd really rather not have to bring somebody back from the dead again." Mary smiled.

"I'm for it as well… I don't even want to think about what a certain lady of my acquaintance would say if I backed down from this." Vlad concurred.

"We're all for it, then." Luke nodded to Bahamut. "We'll be off to this castle tomorrow, then."

"Good men!" The Dragon King cackled. "Come back alive, then. I'll be waiting for you!" They nodded and walked out, finding Razie and Huan waiting for them.

"How'd it go?" The male dragon asked.

"Not bad… he didn't go ape on us, anyways." Drake shrugged. "Said he wants to train us personally, but first we gotta do something called the Test of Courage… involving your old castle?"

"Well, now." Huan whistled. "His Majesty hasn't personally trained anybody since our exile… but that test is no laughing matter. It's swarming with monsters, and that's not the worst of it… it's been cursed by the dead dragons left behind there, and they still roam its halls."

"We've seen worse." Luke shrugged. "We'll just have to deal. I assume you can show us where it is?"

"We'll mark it on your map." Razie nodded. "Will you be wanting to stay the night? We don't exactly have inns or anything, but you're welcome to stay at our place."

"Hey, thanks! That'd be great." Drake grinned. "The ship's nice and all, but I really prefer sleeping on solid land."

"Don't mention it." Huan shook her head. "You guys are killing the Fiends-this is the least we can do. You lead the way, Raz… I'll go out and kill an ankylo for dinner."

The dragons' home turned out to be a pleasant side cavern that was more furnished than the Light Warriors expected, albeit on a larger scale, and once Huan had brought back the monster's corpse, Razie cooked it surprisingly well over an indoor firepit.

"Before you ask, no, neither of us can breathe fire." He guessed. "Actually, only the Fire Dragons can, and they're just one clan… each one has a different elemental breath attack."

"We guessed as much when we ran into some Frost Dragons in the Ice Cave." Vlad noted.

"You've run into some of our accursed brethren, then…" Huan sighed. "Tiamat's mindslaves… this may sound odd, but thank you for killing them… it's the only thing that can be done for them now."

"There's no hope for them at all, then?" Mary asked.

"None." Razie confirmed bleakly. "Believe me, if there was, we would have found it in the Dragon War. We certainly tried… but it was all to no avail. Tiamat's corruption of them is irreversible." His and Huan's eyes were both dimmed. "It was horrible… friends, family, people we had been living with, fighting side by side, just days before, would be on the other side without warning… each day, more and more."

"It went on for a hundred years, until finally, in one massive strike, Bahamut and his queen, Shiva, managed to break through to Tiamat herself." Huan continued the tale. "At first, we thought they might actually have a chance at victory… between them, they had Tiamat on the ropes… but she overpowered them both. And when they were weakened and wounded, she… she corrupted Queen Shiva. Bahamut fled, nearly dead, and ordered us to evacuate… to abandon Drakyr, and flee beyond Tiamat's grasp. We had lost."

"Wait. His queen… as in… his wife?" Luke's eyes widened. "Holy hell… no wonder he's so bitter."

"Exactly." Razie nodded. "She's still at Tiamat's side, even now… ever since he awoke from his recovery and found himself here, his Majesty has been a broken dragon. Until now. Now… he thinks you can kill Tiamat."

"He certainly didn't act like it." Drake frowned. "The way he was talking, it sounded like he thought we weren't worth his time."

"It's just the weight of what's happened to him." Razie sighed. "His crown is even more heavy than those of the other kings in this world. But he offered to train you. He wouldn't have done that unless he seriously believed you could win."

"Then we'll just have to make it happen." Luke decided, and the other three nodded. "And we'll make Tiamat pay for everything that she did, for every single dragon whose life she ruined. Just like with Lich and Kary… before we're done, Kraken and Tiamat are going to regret their own freakin' existence."

"With that kind of spirit, the Test of Courage will be no problem for you guys." Huan grinned. "Just hope you're tough enough for what comes after… it'd really suck to make it out of the Castle only to get killed in his Majesty's special training camp for heroes."

"Yes, we'll do our best to avoid that." Vlad promised drily.

"You do that." Razie smiled approvingly. "All right, looks like this meat's just about done… dig in, everybody."

----------------------------

Unfortunately, upon reaching Drakyr, the crew of the _Icarus_ discovered a drawback to the airship. As Bikke had guessed, its landing system was not designed to work on rough or forested terrain, let alone mountains-which described ninety-nine percent of Drakyr. The closest spot upon which they could land the ship was a plain that was a week's walk from the castle. A week's walk through forest (stalked by saber-toothed tigers), desert (running screaming from massive earthquakes created by hostile sandworms), more forest (constantly on the lookout for Saurias, massive lizards whose stare turned them to stone), swampland (massively built ankylos, with incredibly thick armor built onto their bodies), crossing a river (stronger, red-hued versions of fishy Caribes and plantlike Ochos), and yet more forest (an attack flight of evil wyverns screaming out of the sky, apparently sent by Tiamat). Finally, they emerged from their one-night cabin and walked out of the trees into a clearing filled with the Castle of Dragon. Like the Northwest Castle Astos had occupied, it had a feeling of abandonment and destruction, but here this was only a feeling; the castle itself remained intact and whole. No holes in the walls, no missing sections of roofing, nothing outwardly wrong at all… and still it could be felt. The castle was dead, and had been so for a very long time.

"Well, at least there's nobody up on top shooting arrows and pouring boiling pitch on us." Luke shrugged.

"Oh?" Mary casually brained a sneaking sphinx. "What would you have done if there had been?"

"Gone back to Bikke and done a bombing run." The Fighter replied promptly. "But that might have pissed off Bahamut, so it's all for the best that we didn't."

"What the heck is a bombing run, anyways?" Drake inquired as they approached the castle. The doors were dragon-sized, but they were rusted open, so the Light Warriors were able to enter easily.

"It's on one of those buttons that work the weapons systems on the airship." Luke explained with a shudder. "Let's just say I feel sorry for that herd of sheep he tested it on. Hello, what's this?" At the end of the entrance hall, an old man was walking towards them. As he grew close, they could see that his body was partially transparent.

"A ghost." Vlad realized. "Hostile?"

"Doesn't seem to be, but I've got a Harm spell ready anyways." Mary assured him. "Hello, mister."

"Hehe! Humans, are you? Haven't seen any of you here since… well, forever!" The ghost cackled. "Since I've been here, anyways! Are you here for the Test of Courage, then? I'm surprised the old king let humans do it!"

"We're not exactly normal humans." Drake explained with a grin. "Ever heard of the Light Warriors?"

"Nope! Don't know, don't care!" The old ghost replied easily. "Only thing that concerns me is the Test right here! If old B sent you, I'm your man! Let's see here, entrance requirements, entrance requirements…" Shuffling around in his robes, the old man produced a piece of parchment and a quill pen. "Right. Sound mind and body, yeah, you got that… recommendation from authority, you've met the king and he didn't stomp you… I think we can forego the suggested gratuities, you look broke anyways…"

"Hey." Drake growled.

"Hold on. You got a crown of some sort?" The ghost asked. The Light Warriors all looked at each other.

"Uh… no?" Luke replied eventually. The old man snorted.

"Bah, don't matter. Nobody ever does. Right then, just sign to absolve us, the Castle of Ordeals, of any liability due to harm, poisoning, stunning, sedatives, petrification, death or other caused to your persons while on the premises."

"Uh… what?" Mary blinked.

"It means sign so we know you won't send lawyers after us." The old man explained.

"Oh. Okay." Luke took the pen and wrote his name down.

"Uh… what's a lawyer?" Drake asked as he followed suit.

"Another one of those buttons on the airship's weapons." The Fighter answered. "You don't want to know, trust me." Mary and Vlad wrote their names down as well, and the old man pulled the paper back.

"All right, go to the room in the back on your left, then jump on the throne to start. Good luck!" Waving, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, coughing.

"Riiiiiiight." Drake shrugged after a few minutes of silence. "Well, whatever. Might as well go." Walking to the specified room, the Light Warriors looked at the huge, dragon-sized throne.

"Well, he said to jump on it." Luke shook his head. "Might as well." They jumped, their feet touched rotting velvet… and the castle swirled around them.

----------------------------

"Oog… that thing didn't LOOK alcoholic…" Luke groaned, clutching his head. "What the hell. You guys okay? Guys?" He blinked, looking around. The other three Light Warriors were all gone, and he stood alone at the end of a hall. "Goddammit. When I get my hands on that old guy… huh?" The Fighter frowned as he heard footsteps from around a corner. "That you, fellas?" Walking towards it, he froze as a hideous, green-furred humanoid with a catlike head met him. "Whoops. Definitely not." It roared and lunged, slashing him across the arm before he split its head open. "So much for that… what's next?" More roaring from nearby replied, and the Fighter groaned. "More of the same. Great. Oh well, can't be too bad, right?" Turning the corner, he discovered a pack of six. "Uh… crap."

"A human…" One of them snarled. "I'll have the head."

"Feel free, this one looks bony up there." Another snickered.

"Great, they think they're comedians." Luke muttered, waving his sword. _Okay, this could be bad by myself. What to do? Drake would dodge around and run like hell, Vlad would blast them all with one good spell, Mary would turn invisible and get away. Me… I'd charge like a bull. Shit._ _Well, not like I have any other options!_ Bellowing, he slashed at the first one to speak, ripping through the claws it guarded with and carving out a lung.

"Looks like we'll need to cook the meat first!" Another growled, and all of them began chanting. After many months traveling with Vlad, Luke recognized the words.

"Aw no…" Freeing his sword, he slew another just before the others finished their spells, and waves of fire poured out from their claws, washing over the Fighter. Howling, Luke threw himself into a side room through the closed door and hit the floor rolling, attempting to put out the flames. Without checking if he had succeeded, he rose again and dashed through another door. _On second thought, time to take a cue from Drake!_ _Wait, just running's no good. He'd be more crafty… _Instead of continuing his dash, the Fighter waited by the side of the second door. When a Mancat came through, his sword separated it from its head, then followed suit with the startled next. Unfortunately, the other two repeated the Fire 2 spell, and Luke was sent flying-and on fire again-into a back wall. "Aw, not again!"

"Brothers!" One of the two survivors yelled. "Come to us-there's an intruder!"

"Oh, shut UP!" Luke charged, still blazing, and slew them both with one mighty swing, then frantically extinguished himself again only to hear footsteps approaching. "Damn, damn, damn…" Dashing into another side room, he leaned against the wall, breathing heavily; the burn wounds were deep, and despite his victory over the Mancats so far, he knew a similarly sized pack again would finish him. "Damn it ALL… where are the other guys when I…" He blinked. "The guys. Are they dealing with this too?" He swore again. "If I'M having this much trouble… I've got to find them, and fast… but how…" Looking around the room, his eyes found something odd; a polished marble staff, white and shining, on some sort of pedestal. "What's this supposed to be… magic?" He picked it up and examined it; dimly, he felt a sort of power from it. "Feels like those spells Mary uses to heal us… shame I'm about as good at magic as I am at knitting."

"Is that so?" The old man from the castle's entrance walked out of a shadow, making Luke jump. "Or do you just believe that? You've seen for yourself that your normal approach won't always cut it… shouldn't you try something else, then?"

"Magic? Me?" Luke blinked. "That's not my department. I just slash stuff and take hits."

"And that's working so well so far." The old man rolled his eyes. "You haven't even TRIED. Think about what's important to you. That staff is enchanted; IT has the magic. Even you can use it. You just have to want to. What's important to you? Why do you have to live? If those Mancats find you like you are, you'll die. Can you afford to have that happen?"

"No…" Luke's fist closed around the staff. "I can't. The others… maybe they can make it by themselves. But if they can't, I have to be there to help. That's why I was made strong… to do good. I need to live… I need to win… I need to be strong. And I AM." White light emanated from the staff, washing over him, and the burns faded. "I am strong. Not for myself, but for my friends… for them, I can be as strong as I need to be, no matter how much that is!" The door burst open, and Mancats poured through, but Luke's sword was already moving, slashing through one, two, three. Fire covered him, but he continued cutting, hacking, slashing, killing. He felt pain, but it did not kill him, and what didn't kill could be endured. And when all of them were dead, the staff healed him again, and he stood before the old man with sword held high. "Anything else?"

"Looks like you did a good job to me." The old man nodded approvingly. "Right then. Through there." He pointed at another door. Walking through, Luke found himself back in the hall, now at the other end, where he saw a single white pillar. Walking forward, he touched it curiously, and the castle spun again.

----------------------------

"Who, what, where… okay, focus." Drake shook his head. "Okay. Situation. New castle hall, still alive… nobody else here. Well, THIS is bad." Thinking for a moment, he pulled out the Earth Orb. "Hey, you there?"

"Yes, of course." Earth's face appeared in the wall. "What can I… oh. You're HERE. Then…" The Element's eyes looked around for a few moments. "I see. By yourself… this probably won't be pleasant. Whoops, incoming!"

"What do you-" Drake started to say, then broke off as he heard a clopping sound. Hoofbeats. Around the corner of the hall, two horses walked… grey, ghostly horses with blazing violet manes. Seeing him, they both snorted and charged. "Oh. Oh, MAN. Advice would be helpful!" The horses charged, and Drake followed suit, slashing at them with his sword.

"Not the Dragon Sword, the Rune one!" Earth yelled. "They're magical beings! Nightmares!"

"I don't recall bad dreams about these things before, but I'm sure I'll start having some now!" Drake hurled his sword at one of the enemies' face, then scrambled around in his pack for the Rune Sword. A hoof caught him on the side of the head and knocked him flying as his hand closed around it, and as the enemy charged, he brought the sword up and took off its head. The other Nightmare was flailing around with the Dragon Sword sticking out of its face; as he approached to finish it, however, it snorted, and a black cloud spread out from its nostrils and into his eyes. "Oh, gross. Die, already." He sliced and felt it go still, then clawed at his eyes. No effect. "Crap. Blind."

"I'm afraid they do that, yes." Earth remarked. "There seem to be quite a few more of them patrolling this area… you'll want to move into another room quickly, I think. There's a door over here."

"Thanks." Following the Element's voice, Drake located the doorknob and moved through it. "They can't open doors, right? No hands."

"They can still kick them down." Earth corrected. "You're not safe, I'm afraid."

"I was afraid of that." The Thief confessed. "Right. Any ideas on how to not be horribly trampled? I got lucky with those two, but if they attack in large numbers, with me not even able to see…"

"You've beaten worse odds." Earth reminded him.

"Yeah, but I had the other guys around then. Here… no such luck." Drake frowned. "It'll be no good trying to sneak or run around them… those things are a lot faster than I am. Any idea where I need to go?"

"There's a pillar enchanted for teleportation down at the other end of that hall, but there's about ten of those things in the way." Earth explained. "Wait… there's something else here. A magical artifact."

"NOW you're talking." Drake grinned. "Can I get to it without running into the horses?"

"Yes. I'll lead the way, follow my voice…" Earth led him through two more doors and to a pedestal. Reaching onto it, Drake felt metal, shaped like a hand. A gauntlet.

"Okay. Now, here's the question. What does this do?"

"Casts Lightning 2." The Element answered promptly. "And don't tell me you can't do magic. You can. Just focus your will into the gauntlet."

"Easy for you to say…" Drake muttered.

"Are we having fun, ladies?" A cackling voice broke in-the old man from the entrance. "You might want to pay attention-you've got company!" Drake froze as he heard hoof beats behind him, and turned around, unseeing.

"They're coming!" Earth yelled. "Use it! Now!"

"Right…" Drake pulled the gauntlet onto his hand, wincing at the weight. "Focus my will… that's one thing I have more than enough of!" He heard the enraged neighing, and snorting, and the deadly hooves… and then he heard the crack of electricity striking, and the other sounds stopped, replaced by agonized squeals and heavy thuds as the enemies went down. "Did I get them?"

"You pass, all right." The old man nodded. "Right, get going!"

"Hey, you!" Drake yelled back. "What's the big idea, anyways?"

"He's gone." Earth informed him. "Come on, let's go… this way."

----------------------------

"All right, there's Invis… and I'd better cast Fog too, just to be safe." Mary told herself as she cast her protective spells. Upon realizing that she was alone, the White Mage had quickly figured out that her life expectancy in a straight fight with most monsters would be measured in seconds, and acted accordingly. Now that she was concealed, she started down the hall, then froze as another humanoid figure emerged around a corner; female, but where hair should have been, a crown of live snakes hissed. _A medusa… one of the monsters that petrifies with eye contact. Without the others, just one mistake and I'm a statue forever…_ As the monster neared her, the snakes on her head all pointed in her direction, tongues darting out. _Oh no, sense of smell…_ Slowly, the Medusa advanced towards her, and Mary averted her eyes, holding her hammer tightly. She swung, and the hammer hit-but with her swing blind, it only glanced off lightly, and the snake-haired woman angrily bit Mary's wrist with snakelike fangs. Struggling to keep her grip, she swung again, missing entirely this time, and the Medusa struck at her back, knocking her down. The White Mage frantically slammed her eyelids shut and rose again. This time, when she felt the enemy near her, she brought the hammer down from overhead, and felt the thump and crunch of bone along with a short, cut-off groan. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw that the Medusa was indeed dead, then winced as pain shot through her. "Poison…" Quickly casting an Antidote spell, she shook her head. "This isn't going well at all."

"You seem to be having trouble." The old man's voice noted as he stepped out of the wall above her, standing upside-down on the ceiling. "Not much of a fighter, are you?"

"That was never my department, no…" Mary agreed. "I'm just the healer. The others take care of offense, and I keep them alive."

"And what happens if you're separated from them in combat?" The old man raised an eyebrow. "What HAS happened?"

"I… get beaten." Mary admitted, thinking back to their previous fights around the world. "But that just happens… nobody can be perfect with everything."

"So you're still just as clumsy with that hammer as you were when you started out, is that what you're saying?" The old man inquired. "I don't think so. You might not be a sword-slinger weapons pro, but you HAVE improved. And you can do so more, if you'll just give yourself the chance. You CAN fight. All you have to do is want to."

"That's the problem, I guess." The White Mage agreed. "I've… never really been able to get the whole killer instinct thing down. Whenever I've fought, and killed, enemies, I've always been sorry I had to… well, maybe not the Fiends, but even then, I helped cause their deaths because I had to, not because I wanted to."

"Then make use of that." The old man pressed her. "Use your detachment, and be more calculating, intelligent about your fights. And let your drive come from somewhere else." Dropping down from the ceiling, he flipped around and stood before her. "Think about it. The others all have something that drives them-it's not just killing, and you know it. If it was, they wouldn't be heroes. Drake has an undying will, Vlad a burning heart… they're more similar than either of them would believe. The elf never gives up, and never backs down, no matter what he's up against. And your brother may seem to, but when he inevitably strikes back, it's twice as strong as before. As for Luke, he has the honest desire to use his strength for the good of the world. If you need a reason to fight… look into yourself. What drives YOU, Mary?"

"A… desire to help." The White Mage replied quietly. "That's all. I want to help people… to make their lives better. And my friends most of all."

"Then look at it this way." The old man smiled approvingly. "You have to believe they'll make it through their own trials. But if they do, do you think that'll be the end of it? There's something else here, that won't be easy to beat… and they won't come out of their trials unscathed, believe me. To get out of here alive, they'll need you there, to help them… to keep them alive, as you said. If you lose here, they'll lose too. So… make sure that you don't." Stepping back through a wall, he disappeared again, and Mary slowly nodded.

"All right. He said to become more intelligent, calculating… that, I can do. I was lucky enough to kill the first one before it could call for others… I'll have to be more than lucky for the rest." Creeping down the corridor, she waited by a corner for another Medusa to near; when it did, she whirled around and shoved a Lamp spell into its eyes. At point blank, the bright light blinded the creature just as well as a Dark spell from her brother. It reeled back, clutching its eyes, and Mary calmly waited, taking her time to line up her swing, then bringing her hammer down in a massive overhead smash that crushed the monster woman's head against the stones. "There. I just have to take them one at a time, and do it like that… and I'll make it through. Wait for me, guys… I'm not going to lose here any more than the rest of you."

----------------------------

"I hate this kind of magic." Vlad steadied himself against a wall until the stones stopped spinning, then looked around. "Alone. Damn. Well, at least there's one person I can ask for help…" Pulling out the Fire Orb, he looked into it. "Hello… we seem to have a slight problem."

"I'll say." Fire's face hovered in the air, a floating flame. "You're not kidding about that. I'm going to have a few words with a certain dragon king later on, but for now on, we've got to get you through alive."

"We're in agreement on that, at least." Vlad nodded, then thought of something. "The others. Are they in similar situations?"

"Oh yeah, and they're up against monsters specifically chosen to work against their individual talents." The Element nodded grimly. "But they'll live. My brother will be helping Drake, and the old fart who runs the place will be working with the other two. That just leaves you."

"I'm in good hands, I feel." The Black Mage smiled, then looked down the hall. "So, if they're against enemies that would be their worst nightmares, what do I get?" As soon as the words came out, the answer lumbered around a corner slowly, huge enough to fill the entire corridor. A manlike shape larger than an Ogre, tall and wide, but clearly unalive; its flesh was red mud, and yet it moved, groaning. To his dismay, Vlad recognized what it was from studies as a child. "A mud golem… I didn't think they existed any more."

"Tiamat still knows how to make them… she stationed a few here as guardians." Fire explained. "I trust you know the problem here?"

"They're resistant to almost all the magic I know. Fire, Ice, Lighting, Poison, Status, AND Death." The Black Mage admitted. "That wipes out nearly my entire repertoire… there IS an Earth magic spell I've been working on, but I've still got a ways to go on that, and if I used it in this place, I might bring the whole castle down on all our heads. Damnation."

"At least it's giving you time to prepare." Fire noted. "There's only one spell that you'll have a chance with. Fast."

"Me? Hand-to-hand combat? With that thing?" Vlad stared at the massive golem. "You're joking."

"Would you prefer to watch your spells bounce off of it?" She raised an eyebrow. "You're not completely helpless, you know. You've studied these things, you know where their vital points are. If you Fast yourself, and use your spells to at least boost your own abilities, you can hit them."

"All right, all right… if you say so, I'll give it a shot. It's not like I've got any other options." Muttering the words of the Fast spell, Vlad adjust the grip on his dagger, then charged. As soon as he neared the enemy, a pillar of fire lifted him up off the ground. "I've seen Drake do this… let's hope it's not TOO hard!" Shifting around, he pressed his feet against the ceiling for only a moment before pushing off towards the golem's head, even as its fist swung around. The move allowed him to dodge past it, and land on its head, where he promptly began striking at the space between its eyes, rapid-fire with as much force as he could. "Come on, come on…" The hardened mud began to crack and break as the monster's other fist began to rise, and then it shattered, revealing a piece of paper with runes scrawled on it. One last stab pierced it, and the golem froze, then toppled over, lifeless. Vlad fell, wincing as he skidded across the ground. "Ouch. The landing… knew I forgot the landing."

"Could be worse." Fire shrugged. "That was a bit too close, though…"

"Tell me about it." The Black Mage winced. "Any more ideas?"

"Well, there is one." The Element smirked deviously. "It might not work directly against them, but an ice spell cast on the floor might make them slip up a bit, wouldn't you say? They're hardly pinnacles of agility…"

"Have I ever told you I love the way you think?" Vlad grinned as well. "I just hope there aren't too many of these things… even I can't sling spells forever."

"Just three more." Fire informed him. "I guess the old geezer didn't think it would be fair to put you up against TOO many of these powerhouses."

"Hey, how are you doing?" The old man in question rose up through the floor. "Oho! You seem to have this more or less under control… oh." He glanced at Fire. "Should have figured. Your brother's giving the elf advice too."

"Did you really think we'd just stand back and watch?" She regarded him. "If you didn't want us to help, you should have run this past us first."

"Yeah, yeah." The old man muttered. "Just don't get any ideas about what comes after… if you want it to do anything, you gotta let them stand on their own two feet SOMEtime."

"Of course." The Element nodded. "That's different… you won't actually be trying to kill them." She grinned fiercely. "And I'm sure you know what will happen if you actually do."

"Ooh, I'm quivering with fear." The old man rolled his eyes. "Right, at least you're doing what you're supposed to be, even if you didn't think of it all by yourself. That'll do. Get going and meet up with the others." He sunk into the floor again, and Vlad turned to Fire.

"What was that all about?"

"Come on, this'll be boring if I have to explain EVERYthing to you." She winked. "You can figure it out, you're smart enough. Come on, there's another one coming. Let's blow it up."

----------------------------

The castle spun, and shifted around them… and then all four were together again, standing in a new hall. Turning, they regarded each other. Luke, covered in partially healed burn wounds; Drake, looking around blindly; Vlad, hunched over and wheezing. Only Mary seemed immaculate.

"We all got put through the wringer, didn't we?" She stated blithely. "Don't look at me like that, I don't even want to count the times I got bitten. Just because I healed myself before I stepped through doesn't mean anything." She frowned at Luke. "Looks like somebody healed you, too… didn't do a very good job of it, though. Was it that old man?"

"Nope." Luke proudly raised the Heal Staff. "Did it myself, with this baby… and it was my first time, so of course I'm not too good with it."

"Yes, that explains why they're so clumsy." Mary raised her hands. "I'll do it properly as soon as I Lamp Drake… good thing I have enough left for that. That really did a number on my magic reserves."

"You're telling me." Vlad grumbled. "And that last one still got a hit in… that's what I get for being cocky. Busted ribs."

"With one hit? Sheesh, what did you get, a dragon?" Drake rubbed his eyes. "Ah, sight! How I missed you!"

"Close. Mud golems. Totally immune to all my magic… I had to go hand-to-hand with them, and I'm sure you know that's hardly my specialty." The Black Mage straightened up as his sister healed him. "Much better."

"Yeesh… I'm glad all I got was horses from hell." Drake shook his head. "What about you, Mary?"

"Medusas." The White Mage indicated a tiny, dead snake stuck to her hammer. "That was fun, let me tell you."

"I got cats that used magic. Fire 2, to be specific." Luke growled. "That old man's gonna get it when I find him."

"First, we have to finish up here." Mary reminded him. "From what he told me, we're not done… there's one thing left, and it'll take all of us to bring it down."

"If what Razie and Huan told us is any indication, it won't be pretty." Drake shook his head. "Let's go check it out." They walked down the hall, unopposed, to double doors that swung open at their approach. Inside was the true throne room of the castle; a huge hall, backed with a throne large enough for the Dragon King that looked to be of solid gold. But that was not all that the throne room held; four dragon corpses, rot and decay covering them, sprawled across the floor. And then they moved, and dead heads turned to stare with empty sockets.

"Zombie Dragons… this won't be fun." Mary scowled. "Good news is, they'll probably be weaker than living ones, unlike most zombies… bad news is, there's four of them. Turning our backs on any of them would be suicide… we'll have to take one each!"

"If that's the way we have to do it, we will!" Luke charged the nearest one, blade swinging with the Fast spell. A claw swiped out and was met with his blade; rotting scales no longer held protective strength, and the limb was ripped down the center. Unfazed, the Zombie Dragon slashed with another, this time catching him and drawing blood. Luke struck back just as fearlessly, slashing at it as well and taking it off, only to wince as the first claw struck again, tearing at his head despite being carved in half. Growling, the Fighter stabbed upwards and took the claws off at the wrist, stopping them at last. Mouth gaping in a silent hiss, the Zombie Dragon reared up on its hind legs, then fell forward, head darting out with broken teeth bared. Luke stood his ground and thrust with his sword; the maw closed on his arm, but the sword continued on through the back of the head into the neck, and with a swing Luke pulled it free, slicing off the head. The Zombie Dragon fell, and was still.

"Come on, man… one-on-one with these things? I knew I should have read the fine print…" Drake quipped, Fast spell on him as well. The enemy snarled at him, then slashed and stabbed with claws. Drake darted around, sword clanging off of them, but was unable to hack them off with as much strength as Luke. Instead, after several deflects, he darted under the claws and through the hind legs, wincing as one of them shifted to slash at him but continuing on. Once he was past the dragon, the Thief backflipped past the slowly thrashing tail onto his foe's back, turned and dashed upwards. Hole-filled wings spread, but the Thief continued past them easily; when the dragon reared up so that its back was completely vertical, Drake found footholds on the bases of those same wings as he slashed at the beast's neck. It tried to reach around with claws and fangs, but could not, and the Dragon Sword sliced through its scales, taking the head off.

"Hand-to-hand won't work here… but zombies are one thing I CAN fight!" Mary's hands glowed as she summoned the sphere of holy light, flying out and exploding in a blaze that sent her Zombie Dragon back against the wall, silently screaming as the spell eroded it. As soon as the spell faded, the beast blasted forward, desperately forcing what was left of its decayed form forward in a kamakaze rush. Diving onto Mary, it slammed its rotting bulk into her, then screamed silently as another Harm 3 spell finished the job, melting it away into nothingness.

"Agreed, sister… these things are ours!" Vlad echoed Mary's holy magic with a Fire spell of similar strength, the massive fireball blazing into the enemy and setting it alight. Silent but obviously in pain, the monstrosity lurched toward him like a blazing house given life, collapsing even as it lunged out with both claws as well as its fangs to try and bring him down before it failed. A minor Ice spell on the floor, and Vlad slid backwards, away from the foe, then summoned another massive fireblast that sent bits and pieces of his enemy flying as the rest turned to ash.

"Well done, all of you… very well done." The old man's voice drew their eyes to the throne, where he sat, clapping. "Well done indeed… you were right to come here. You were indeed strong enough to win… and more importantly, you all had the courage to do so despite the odds. You've passed the test with flying colors, Light Warriors. You have my congratulations, and my respect."

"You…" Luke started to turn on the old man angrily, then stopped. "Who are you? Some sort of guardian, a caretaker for this place?"

"I don't think so." Vlad shook his head. "I didn't get it at first, but now I do. It wasn't enough just to wait for us, hm? Had to see how we'd do yourself, your majesty?" The old man grinned.

"So, you figured it out. Indeed I did… and yes, I tampered a bit with what you would face, and where. When I said this castle was my home, I meant it. Even now, in this state, it listens to my voice." Drake blinked.

"Wait. You're… Bahamut?"

"Exactly." The old man nodded. "This is a mental projection… I'm really still back on Cardia. Waiting for you. As I've said, you passed… which means once you get back here, the training will begin." He grinned wickedly. "I won't lie to you… I don't play nice. It'll be rough. But you'll make it through, just like you did here, and you'll come out of it twice, thrice, even four times stronger than before. With what I'll teach you, you'll make Kraken and Tiamat scream. Are you ready?"

"As soon as we get back, we will be." Luke nodded, then winced. "I just remembered, we'll have to walk all the way back to the Airship first… that'll be a blast."

"I'll take care of that for you." Bahamut offered. "Just take something from this room… it's the tradition, after all."

"Anything, hm? What shall it be… ooh, I know." Drake grinned. Crossing over to a hole on the wall, he bent over and stabbed something, then turned and held up a dead rat. "Something from the throne room? This qualifies." Bahamut stared at it for a moment, then laughed explosively.

"So it does, young elf! Might as well just bring the tail if you're going to do it that way!"

"Sure." Drake sliced the tail off. "All right then. Let's go, shall we?"

"As you wish." The old man's eyes glittered, and the castle spun around them… and then they stood on the Airship again.

"It's nighttime." Luke noted. "Bikke and the guys'll be sleeping."

"Let 'em nap… we could use some of that ourselves, I think." Drake shrugged. "We can start flying back tomorrow… and then, back to school with the King of the Dragons. Hooray for us."


	12. Chapter 11: Takin' Care Of Business

**_Chapter 11: Takin' Care Of Business_**

Slowly, surely, one day at a time, the Temple of Fiends was changing. With half of its ownership changed, the ruined temple was turning to reflect this. It wasn't overt; a wall growing back here, a bit more light there. But it was still enough to make the two remaining Fiends feel unease as they moved towards the central chamber. Meeting, they stopped and looked at each other in the Black Orb's light.

"Well," The Fiend of Air spoke after several moments of silence. "It looks like those two aren't here right now. Good. We need to talk, Kraken. The survivors of the party I sent to the Ice Cave told me an interesting story about what happened there."

"Yeah, I know." Kraken grumbled. "I heard pretty much the same from MY boys. Think about it, Tiamat. I sent Marsh Cave guys, you sent Dark Elves. The result is obvious. We really should have coordinated that better." Tiamat sighed.

"Fair enough. It probably was both sides' fault. I had hoped the Frost Dragons I sent in command would be able to keep the Dark Elves controlled, but they DID die, so it's certainly plausible that they failed there as well. I understand you sent your assistant there in your command?"

"Yes, and he screwed up too." Kraken made a rude noise. "So now they've got the airship, which means they can reach me. They're coming for ME now, Tiamat." The Fiend of Water paced back and forth frantically.

"It gets worse, I'm afraid." Tiamat informed him. "Shiva's told me that Bahamut has met them, and is training them. Teaching them. They're having the benefit of everything he knows. You should just be glad dragons don't swim well, so he can't join in against you personally."

"Oh, _that's_ just wonderful!" Kraken howled. "So they'll be even worse when they come to Onrac. Super. Why don't I just ask them for the Orb of Water and eat it. Get it over with. Damnation to all of them." He continued pacing. "I'd like to say there's still no way they can access the Sea Shrine, but they've gotten too far already for me to seriously believe that. No, they'll find a way."

"So, what will you do?" Tiamat inquired, voice bearing the slightest trace of contempt. "Give up?"

"What? Of course not." Kraken continued to pace, muttering. "No, I'll fight… you'll help me, I expect. Send some of your troops that can work underwater. Pity your dragons don't swim any better, but I'm sure you have some other monsters that can. Especially some more Eyes; one failed, but maybe several of them…"

"No." Tiamat replied calmly. "I think not." That made Kraken pause, silent for several moments, before whirling on his fellow Fiend.

"_What do you mean, no?_" He shrieked, then fell silent as he saw the look in Tiamat's eyes.

"I said no, Kraken, and that is exactly what I mean. No." The Fiend of Air snarled as Kraken cringed before her. "I have been preparing for the Light Warriors all this time, while you sat on your ass, and now that you're in danger personally you want me to weaken my forces for the chance of saving you. I don't think I'm going to do that. I'm consolidating my monsters in the Sky Palace, thank you very much; you can do whatever you want in the Sea Shrine, but don't expect me to hold you up any more. If you can't stand on your own, I'm not going to be your crutch."

"You…" Kraken stammered. "You and me, we did this together! We were the first ones, Lich and Kary only came after! We're a team!"

"We are _fiends_, brother." Tiamat reminded him angrily. "You expect me to believe that you actually hold any sentiment towards me? You overestimate your own cleverness. We united because that suited our purposes, and now the opposite is true. However…" Her eyes darkened. "I do still expect you to put in your fair share towards our contingency plan. Those two clowns still haven't noticed, so it's going exactly as I had hoped. If you screw that up, then the next time you rise, you'll _wish_ you had stayed dead. Am I understood?"

"Yes! Yes! Father Chaos, yes!" Kraken babbled. "Yes, sister!"

"Good." Tiamat's heads turned towards the door of the chamber. "Enough talk of this. They're coming." A moment later, Earth and Fire walked in.

"A meeting?" Fire smiled happily at them both. "How nice! You didn't tell us, though. Very naughty, brother and sister. Well, we're here now. Was there something you wanted to discuss?"

"It looks like there's been quite a discussion going on already." Earth noted, seeing Kraken's form prostrated on the floor before Tiamat. "I hope you two haven't been having _too_ much fun. This is hardly the place for that." Kraken bolted back upright as both he and Tiamat's eyes narrowed.

"You-you-" The Fiend of Water sputtered. "I'll KILL you!"

"You want to fight me, brother? Here?" Earth smirked. "Sounds fun."

"Ooh, a fight?" Fire grinned at Tiamat. "How about you? We can't let the boys have all the fun." Tiamat glared coldly at her.

"I think not. And neither will you, Kraken. We both have other things to attend to, and no time to waste on a meaningless squabble like this. Let's leave."

"Ah… humph. Very well." Kraken did his best to imitate the glare as he and Tiamat both departed.

"Well. That was interesting." Earth noted after they were both gone. "Seems Kraken might be having some difficulties. He might not be such a problem for them as our opposites were."

"Don't bet on it." Fire shook her head. "He is still a Fiend. He's having problems now, but once he's in a corner…" She glanced at the Black Orb. "Ugh. This thing's still here. I hate it."

"Then don't look at it." Earth shuddered. "I certainly try not to."

"Good advice." Fire tore her gaze away from it. "Let's get out of here. This place is still too corrupt for me."

"Agreed. We can tidy it up once the whole family's back together." Earth nodded. "But right now, let's go see how they're doing, shall we?"

"Now that's an even better idea." Fire agreed as the Elements walked out, leaving the Black Orb alone once more.

----------------------------

"Good, good! Get your entire body behind the blow!" Bahamut congratulated Luke as the Fighter somehow managed to push back the Dragon King's massive longsword with his own much smaller blade. Giving ground, Bahamut suddenly lunged out, but Luke turned and deflected most of the blow's force on his left arm's gauntlet. "There you go! You're learning!" He laughed, then shoved the sword again and sent Luke flying. "Still got a ways to go, though! Come on, get back up and let's keep at it!"

The warnings about Bahamut's intensive training had turned out to be wholly accurate; each of the four Light Warriors only had six hours a day off to eat and sleep between rounds. When they weren't sparring with Bahamut himself, they were working with each other. While Mary rested, Luke traded blows with Bahamut, and Vlad taught Drake the instinctual rudiments of Black Magic. While Vlad rested, Drake worked with the Dragon King on moves and dodges at blinding speed, and Mary attempted to teach White Magic basics in a form Luke could grasp. While Luke rested, Bahamut showed Mary realms of White Magic she hadn't imagined existed, and Drake worked with Vlad on avoiding getting hit and striking at just the right moment. While Drake rested, Bahamut instructed Vlad on destructive spells that could level a small town, and Luke helped Mary learn to control her hammer while still putting maximum force behind it. None of them knew when Bahamut rested; he seemed not to need it at all, going from one session to the next endlessly with no breaks for himself at all. It was mind-boggling.

And yet, it worked. Its effects were showing quite clearly on all of them. Slowly but surely, one day at a time, they were changing; becoming something more. Something further than just strength. Something no other mortal could reach. And Bahamut knew it as well. When Luke managed to not only parry, but actually knock the King's blade out of his hands; when Drake ran up the wall, across the ceiling, and towards his head; when Mary healed a dragon who had been gored horribly with a tiger's saber teeth; when Vlad made the earth tremble and crack, creating a gorge that a pack of Catmen fell into, shrieking; the Dragon King's eyes shone with approval, and pride. And then came the day when he bade them all stop, and rest together, and rise in the morning. When they did, they went to him in his throne room, and found him waiting, and not alone.

"Sara?" Luke blurted out in surprise as he saw the Princess standing next to Bahamut's throne. "What-how-you're here?"

"Easy, boy." Sara smiled warmly. "Slow down, get your thoughts in order. His Majesty called me and these others here to witness the end of your training, and fulfill certain formalities." She nodded at the other three who stood by her. One was familiar to all of them, if only slightly; Chancellor Gilian from Elfland. The other two were both ancient; a wizened old man in white robes and a hag in black, both garments trimmed with silver. Mary and Vlad blinked as they saw them.

"We have actually been here for a few days now, watching you as per his Majesty's request." Gilian explained, nodding at Bahamut. "The Princess wished to make herself known to you right away, Sir Luke, but the King insisted that we see your current states in silence. Well done, all of you."

"Your Majesty?" Drake glanced at Bahamut. "Mind explaining what this is all about, then?"

"It's rather simple." Bahamut rumbled. "You've finished. Your training is complete. There's nothing more I can teach you. Now, as a whole, the Light Warriors are beyond even me, which means Kraken will fall, and you at least have a shot at Tiamat. I asked these four to come so that they could bestow upon you the traditional rewards due to you, from your cultures. Care to start things off, your Highness?"

"Very well. Approach, Sir Luke." Sara's speech was unusually formal, and Luke did as she asked with only a trace of hesitation. "Despite your service to our realm, upon the departure of the Light Warriors you had not been granted the title of a full Knight of Corneria. This shall now be remedied. As the heir to the throne, I shall now accept your oath. One that shall be slightly different, for you are not just a Knight of Corneria, but a Light Warrior as well, and your duty is to the entire world. Do you swear to protect this world, and the people who dwell upon it? Do you swear to never forget your honor, to knowingly do evil? Do you swear to live out or lay down your life in the defense of this world? Do you swear to remain ever vigilant, to never let your sword grow dull or your armor weak? And do you swear to never forsake your comrades, allies and friends who serve alongside you?"

"All this and more, I swear." Luke drew his blade and placed it on the ground before her. "First as a man of Corneria, second as a Light Warrior, and third as your friend."

"Then rise, Sir Knight. You are now a Knight of Corneria, Sir Luke. Remember your vows, and always uphold them." Sara gravely presented him with an ornate helmet. "This relic belonged to your ancestor, Commander Hassan. It was he who commanded the Knights during the first attack by Garland, the Chaos Knight, and he was slain in combat with that monster to force the horde back from our gates. Wear it well, Sir Luke." As soon as Luke had taken it from her hands, she relaxed. "Phew. I think I remembered all of that. Please don't ever make me do that again, anybody."

"Haha, as you wish." Chancellor Gillian smiled. "Well then, it's my turn. We're not as formal with what I have to offer, Drake. Simply put, Elfland recognizes your services to us as well, and thus offers you a position in our most secret of services. The Ninja. As the Princess pointed out, your duty is more to the world than to one Kingdom, so I doubt you'll be getting many official assignments, but regardless, the Prince feels it appropriate, both to your talents and to your position. Here, hopefully this will be useful." He held out a strange, full-body grey garment. "This should stretch to fit over any armor you wear. It will help you hide and move about unseen when necessary."

"The Ninja, huh? Mom used to tell me about them. I thought it was just a conspiracy story." Drake muttered. "Wonder what she'd say if she knew I got to be one?"

"She'd be proud, man." Luke elbowed him in the ribs. "Come on, take it. You deserve it."

"I will, then." The Elf decided. "Thanks, Chancellor. I appreciate it."

"We're not formal either." The crone in black grunted as she and her companion approached the mages. "But we've watched you both, and you've mastered your respective arts all the way up to the Sixth Level. When you left us less than a year ago, you were barely managing the First, and now…" She shook her head.

"This is normally only due to those who have already achieved the Eighth Level, but we've consulted the other Wizards, and we agreed to make an exception in your cases. Doubtless you will reach that level soon anyways." The man in white continued. "There are many Mages in this world, but only a pitifully small percentage of those rise to the absolute maximum of their potential, and become Wizards. To do so at such a young age is extraordinary. You truly are the Light Warriors, and these are well-earned by you." He and the woman in black handed Mary and Vlad robes similar to their own. "Well met, fellow Wizards, and well done, indeed."

"Thank you." Mary stated simply, staring at the robes. "When we left, I never thought… never dreamed… never…"

"But we did." Vlad reminded her. "And here we are. Thank you, indeed. We'll wear them with pride."

"Wait, are you telling me I was the only one who had to go through all that formality?" Sara's eyes narrowed in outrage. "That's not fair!"

"We'll make it up to you in a bit." Luke promised her. "I get the feeling a party's appropriate. If you're done with us, your Majesty?"

"Almost." Bahamut raised a finger. "One more thing. Your journeys. I assume you will be traveling to Onrac in the morning. One of my kind lives there; he has already been notified of the current situation, and will be waiting for you to help you find the way to Kraken. You likely won't need to worry about Tiamat's dragons interfering there, since none of us are good swimmers. Unfortunately, that means we will be unable to aid you either. Tiamat herself, however, is a different story."

"You will help us in our fight with the Fiend of Air, then?" Vlad inquired sharply. "That would be very useful."

"Indeed, but there is one thing." Bahamut suddenly looked as old and tired as he had when they had first met him. "I have a weakness. One that has crippled me ever since we left our homeland. Most powerful among the corrupted dragons is my wife, Shiva… she serves at Tiamat's right hand. She alone, I cannot fight. The thought of ever meeting her in the field causes me to become a powerless worm. It is my greatest shame, but there is nothing I can do, even though I know she is lost forever to me. There is only one thing that can be done for her now, and though I cannot do it myself, I would ask it of you, Light Warriors."

"You want us to…" Mary started, then fell silent, unable to say it. Bahamut nodded somberly.

"To reach the Sky Palace, there are two methods. One is flight, but that would entail confronting all of Tiamat's aerial armies, foremost among them the corrupted dragons. The other is to travel through the Mirage Tower, in the Yahnikurm Desert. If you use that method to begin, then Tiamat will doubtless send Shiva into the Tower to bar your path. Once she is… gone… have the Elements tell me, and the Dragons shall fly to war again, and engage Tiamat's armies in the sky to keep them from your paths in the Sky Palace."

"We shall, then." Luke nodded. "Thank you, your Majesty. With your aid, we will reach Tiamat. And then…"

"And then, we shall see if it is enough." Bahamut sighed, then stretched. "Ah well, that is enough for the moment. As you said, celebration is in order. Captain Bikke, if you would?"

"Arr har har har!" Heavy barrels dropped down from the ceiling to hang loose on chains, which Bikke, Mr. Smite, Huan and Razie slid down. The Pirate Captain landed first. "About time, Kingy. I was about to fall off up there! Ah well, time to party all right! Let's go!"

"You were in on this too, Bikke?" Drake shook his head. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Who do you think brought all these guys here?" Mr. Smite chuckled. "His Majesty sent Huan and Razie here with us to make sure we behaved. Don't see why, it's not like we're suspicious or anything."

"They offered us jobs on the crew, too." Huan smirked. "Tempting, but we had to pass, what with our dutis here. It was fun, though."

"Right, right, enough jib jab!" Bikke grunted impatiently. "Let's crack these babies open, already! Party time!"

----------------------------

"Excuse me, your highness?" Mary asked a bit hesitantly as she stood before the Princess, who was resting against a wall and watching the festivities with a smirk as she sipped from a mug more slowly than most of the partygoers. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"Of course, Mary. And please, just call me Sara." She smiled warmly in response. "I know some royalties can't stand to not be called by their honorifics, but I'm just the opposite. I'd be happy to sell my crown in Onrac if I thought I could get away with it." Laughing, Mary took a seat, and the two of them watched as Luke, Drake, and Vlad danced arm in arm, bellowing some off-key pirate shanty (Bikke was attempting to join in, but seemed unable to stand properly enough to do so). "It must be quite an adventure going around the world with those three."

"It has some interesting points." Mary admitted. "But sometimes it gets a little grating being the only girl on the team. Bikke doesn't even have any women in his crew, apparently not since the last one he had went to start her own because she got fed up with tripping over all of Mr. Smite's weapons when he left them scattered on the deck. Although like all of Bikke's stories, that one may not be entirely true." Sara chuckled.

"I don't know, that one sounds plausible enough. It took me two years after Luke to get his first sword to get him to not leave it lying around anywhere-one time even on the throne. Dad was NOT amused."  
"I'll be. That does sound like one of those things royalty get bent out of shape over." A third voice agreed as flames materialized and formed into a human figure, then paused as Sara's eyes grew wide. "Um, is it all right if I hang out with you too? It looked like you were having some girl talk, so I thought…"

"Of course, it's perfectly all right." Mary assured the nervous Element. "Sara, this is the Element of Fire. In case you couldn't spot the common thread between the three of us aside from the most obvious, she seems to have a mutual attraction with my brother." At that, Sara's eyes grew more calm.

"I see. Well, I suppose it's nice to meet you, miss…" She blinked. "Wait. Common thread?"

"Just call me Fire-wait, what?" Fire blinked as well, then grinned. "Oho, you haven't told her, Mary? That wasn't nice."

"I was just waiting for the right time, is all." Mary muttered, pulling her hood down as she blushed. Sara looked from one of them to the other, then smiled as well.

"Drake?"

"Oh yeah." Fire confirmed. "All three of those boys are quite the lucky fellows."

"I suppose I should have seen it coming." Sara clapped the embarrassed White Wizard on the shoulder. "Relax, it's not like you should be ashamed of it or anything."

"Yeah." Fire nodded. "He's a catch, even if he's not my particular taste."

"Well, that's for the best, really." Mary brightened up. "I know my brother's grateful for you, and I certainly am. If you hadn't come along I don't think he'd have ever found somebody."

"He isn't exactly the most social type." Sara agreed, and Fire chuckled.

"He's just shy, is all. Get past that and he's a much nicer person than he acts."

"I'll take your word for it." Sara watched as the Black Mage sang a particularly off-key verse, and his two friends gleefully followed suit on the next one even worse. "Although he does look like he's having fun now." Vlad had dropped his hat several hours ago, and his revealed face no longer bore the marks of all the years of abuse Kary had put him through. "I suppose he's like Luke in a way. He acts like a total idiot a lot of the time, but just when you think he has no brains at all he'll say or do something that'll change your mind completely on him. For a little while, anyways."

"It's the same way Drake hides his morals." Mary concurred. "He pretends he's an unprincipled cutthroat, but he's really just as much a hero as any of us." She snorted. "And all three of them would rather die than admit that it's all for show. They have too much fun playing around. Men."

"I'll drink to that." Sara agreed, and Fire nodded as well.

"I would too, but I don't think that would work out." The other two laughed a bit at that. "Still, they're good guys, even if they refuse to grow up."

"They are really something, all of them." Sara nodded.

"Yeah, they are." Mary looked down into her mug, suddenly somber. "They're strong, both in their bodies and their wills. Even when they faced the Fiends, they never backed down or gave up. They gave out just as good as they got, the entire time." She chuckled bitterly. "Unlike some people."

"What do you mean by that?" Sara asked cautiously, shooting Fire a worried glance.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm the weakest link in the group." Mary drank deeply, eyes dark. "Oh sure, I can heal, but that's it. When it comes down to the fighting, I'm nearly useless. The entire time Luke was helping me with that, he was holding back so much it wasn't even funny."

"Well, that's his strength. Smashing things." Fire tried to calm her. "Just like Drake's is agility, and Vlad is offensive magic. Your healing is as important as the others. They never would have survived against Lich or Kary without you."

"Maybe, but they're all stronger now." Mary continued to grow more depressed. "From Bahamut's training. Maybe strong enough not to need so much healing any more, and that's all I can do. And it's my Orb that's coming up next. My Fiend to fight. If I can't pull my weight, I'll…" She broke off.

"I think you've had enough, Mary." Sara took the mug from her friend's hand. "And don't talk like that. You'll do just as well as the others, I know it."

"She's right." Fire agreed. "It IS prophesized, you know. We knew what we were doing when we made that. Water had faith in you to bring him back, and he doesn't do that lightly. Now, let's talk about something else, okay?"

"All right." Mary agreed reluctantly. But the cloud of gloom over her refused to lift for the rest of the night, despite the best efforts of the other two, and they could only watch, worried, as she continued with her bleak depression.

----------------------------

"Ugh, my head." Drake moaned as he regained consciousness the next day. "Please tell me I'm on the airship and not just imagining everything moving."

"It ain't you, don't worry. Though I agree with you on the headache part." Luke was slumped against a rail, looking up at the sky above them. "It helps to look at something that's NOT moving. Like the sun."

"You'll hurt your eyes like that, meathead." Vlad was crouched in the shade; oddly, he had opted to keep his hat off even after the party was over. "Just close them."

"Good advice." Drake sat up. "Oww. Where's Mary?"

"Below deck." Bikke grunted from the wheel. "She can get outta this, but now that yer all up, we've got some work to do. Ain't that right, boys?" The other pirates, lying around in various states of misery, all groaned.

"Work? Like this?" Luke slid further down. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Suck it up, we're all the same shape." Bikke told him. "More importantly, tomorrow we'll be landing in Onrac City, and I want this baby looking as nice and shiny as we can get it. Won't take too long if we all pitch in."

"Can I ask why?" Vlad stood up.

"It's my home city, bucko. I always made sure the _Amphitrite_ was nice and polished whenever I sailed her inta Onrac, and I'm doin' the same with the _Icarus_ here. Cammon, sooner we get to work sooner we're done!"

Unfortunately, it turned out to not be that simple. Bikke was unsatisfied with that much; when they had finished the ship, they turned to themselves, even the most grizzled pirate polishing his armor and weapons until they reflected the sunlight. Bikke himself even trimmed his beard. By the end of the day, they were all exhausted, and slept soundly to wake up over the country of Onrac, in the northwest of the world. With a massive mountain range in the north and a grand desert in the west, the only portion of the country that would be considered inhabitable by most was near the reputed location of the sunken Sea Shrine, once home of the mermaids, now the lair of Kraken. Onrac City was on the east coast, right up against the ocean; as they landed, the Light Warriors saw the effect of that written over the entire land. Though the buildings themselves were undamaged, the land below them was sunken and wet; streams ran here and there throughout, and the coastline lapped threateningly at the edge.

"It floods at least once a year." Bikke informed them somberly as they landed. "The folks've learned to flood-proof their places and be ready to evacuate at any time, but there's always some poor sap who don't make it." He fell silent at that and said no more until a forest-green male dragon flew aboard the ship.

"All right, who's-BIKKE?" His jaw dropped. "What the-this isn't the _Amphitrite_!"

"Yeh, yeh, I know I said I'd never trade her in, but these guys made me rent out this fancy sucker." The Pirate Captain rolled his eye, then grinned. "Intyre, you old newt, how ya been?"

"Same as usual." The dragon sighed. "His Majesty sent word that the Light Warriors were coming, but he never said YOU were with them. Somehow, though, I'm not surprised." He turned and bowed to the Light Warriors. "Greetings. My name is Intyre, as this reprobate said, and I'm a resident of this city. We will do everything in our power to assist you in your fight against Kraken."

"Oy." Bikke frowned, suddenly serious. "How're Delphine an' her family?" At that, Intyre raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't ask Darious? She was at Crescent Lake…"

"She was?" Bikke blinked. "What the hell'd the old bat be doing…" His eye widened. "Wait. Old Darious… was one of them Sages?"

"Yeah, we'd have told you, but we didn't know you knew her." Luke agreed. "She's the Merfolk Sage."

"No kidding." Bikke shook his head. "Well, how about the others?"

"Delphine and the girls are fine. They've been hard at work on that fool device of theirs." Intyre sighed. "Come on, let's go see them." Exiting the ship, the Light Warriors followed Bikke and Intyre through the city, ignoring the murmuring of the passersby. Mary glanced at her brother, who was still going bareheaded.

"Decided you don't want your hat any more, bro?"

"Don't really need it now." Vlad shrugged. "And Fire said she thought I looked cooler without it, so…" Mary nodded, thinking.

"I see. Well, I might as well change my image a bit too, I guess." Throwing back her hood, she let her long, red hair fall back. "What do you think, Drake?" The elf whistled.

"And here I thought it wasn't possible for you to get any more beautiful."

"Flatterer." The White Mage accused him, and both laughed, then straightened up as Bikke knocked on a door.

"Who is it?" A woman's voice called from inside. "Intyre?"

"Aye, and 'tis me too, Delphine. An' some guests." Bikke called back. There was a moment of shocked silence, and then the door swung open, revealing a middle-aged lady in a blue dress. Her reddish hair held no grey, but instead an odd trace of pink.

"Bikke, it's been too long since you visited us." She smiled warmly. "Come in. Who are your friends…" She trailed off, eyes widening. "Oh, Bikke, are these…"

"The Light Warriors, at your service, ma'am." Luke bowed. "Any friend of Bikke's is a friend of ours."

"Bikke." Delphine's eyes narrowed. "Just what did you do to attract attention like this?" Bikke winced.

"We, eh, sorta… knocked over Pravoka City."

"You old fool!" The woman raged. "You're lucky you weren't hanged!"

"I ain't gonna hold back for fear o' the reaper, you know that." The Pirate Captain shook his head. "Anyways, it worked out. I met these fellas 'cause of it, and they're somethin' special. Dunno if you've heard, but they actually went and killed Lich an' Kary. An' now it's Kraken's turn."

"I never dreamed…" Delphine shook her head. "Well, come in, all of you. Diane, heat up some tea for eight."

"I won't be staying." Intyre apologized. "Sorry, but with these folks here, I need to be especially vigilant about monsters sneaking into town." He flew off, and the others all walked in.

"Well, Bikke drinks enough for two anyways." Delphine muttered, indicating for them all to take a seat. "So, the Light Warriors. My, my. You'll have met my mother, Darious, then."

"Yes, at Crescent Lake." Drake agreed, then blinked. "Wait. So you're…"

"A mermaid, aye. Well, not so much the maid part these days." Delphine admitted. "That'd be for my two daughters. Our ancestor escaped the Sea Shrine right as it was going down, and the family's lived here since." A pretty young lady with hair just like her mother's brought tea in and poured it for all of them. "My firstborn, Diane. The other, Denise, is working down at the docks."

"An unusual occupation for a young lady." Mary murmured, sipping her tea. "This is very good."

"Thank you." Diane smiled. "My sister is not exactly typical. She's been building a vessel that she claims will be able to travel underneath water for years now, but still hasn't completed it."

"A vessel that travels underwater." Vlad repeated. "Well, now. That sounds very interesting, in light of our current mission."

"I figured it might be." Delphine nodded. "My ma thought the same, which is why we let her keep it up. If she can get it working, it'll give you a way to the Sea Shrine that don't involve hugging an anchor."

"That's the ticket, all right." Drake agreed. "We should probably go down and check that out."

"Diane can show ya the way." Bikke replied. "Me an' Delphine'll stay here an' catch up on old times." Glancing at each other, the Light Warriors nodded and followed Diane out.

"Your mother and Bikke have known each other a long time, I take it." Mary inquired as they walked east, towards the docks.

"As far back as I can remember, and probably long before that." The young woman confirmed. "He spends most of his time at sea, of course, but at least once a year he comes back here to see her. He always leaves some of the gold he's picked up with us. She complains that she doesn't want any illegal money, but he insists that it'll help with raising us, and in the end she always gives in." She smiled. "We all know who and what he is to the rest of the world, but he's always been kind to us."

"He's actually been playing it fairly straight ever since we met him." Drake informed her. "He seems to enjoy the novelty of being a good guy, and he's a close friend to us as well. We've practically been all over the world with him and his crew, and we wouldn't trade them for any other."

"I'm glad." Diane's smile widened. "Ah, here we are." Leading them to one dock in particular, she continued down to a shed and knocked on the door. "Denise, it's me. There are some people here who are interested in your work."

"It's not READY yet, Diane!" A frustrated-sounding girl yelled back. "I can't let anybody professional see this until it's working, or I'll be a laughingstock!"

"We're not exactly the sort of professionals you're thinking of, ma'am." Luke called through the door. "We're the Light Warriors." After a moment, the door opened, revealing a stout girl a few years younger than her sister, wearing glasses.

"Light Warriors, huh?" She looked them over. "I heard you were coming in."

"They were with Bikke." Diane explained, and her sister's eyes lit up.

"Well, why didn't you say so? You must be the real deal, then. He wouldn't have any phonies. Come on in."

"Can't say that's a common reaction to Bikke's name." Drake muttered to Mary as they walked in and saw her project; or at least, the part of it that was above the water's surface. The top part of a metal oval that looked fully as large as the _Icarus_, it had fins on its sides and a pipe coming out of the top. A hatch behind that was open, revealing a ladder inside.

"Looks like some sort of mechanical fish." Luke observed. "So, this baby will be able to take us to the Sea Shrine?"

"If I can get it working right." Denise growled. "Most of it's almost complete; the only big problem left is the air supply. Nothing I do works; there's just no way to store enough in there for an extended trip!" At that, Vlad and Mary shared an odd look.

"Miss…" Mary was the one who spoke. "Is it watertight? It doesn't leak or anything, right?"

"Yes, that was accomplished early on." Denise confirmed. "Why?"

"What if we were able to bring you a magical artifact that could create oxygen?" Vlad followed up. "Would that work?"

"It would." The young mermaid stared at them. "You have something that can do that?"

"No, but we know where to get it." Mary explained. "In our home, Gaia City… there's a fairy who makes water that can create oxygen. Oxyale, she calls it. If we can bring some here?"

"Then yes, that should work!" Denise whirled back to her machine. "And if I don't have to worry about that, I can finish ironing out all the other kinks. By the time you get back, it should be ready to go!"

"Excellent." Drake grinned. "So we're going to Gaia, then. Should be nice."

"I think you'll like it." Mary smiled back. "Shall we tell Bikke?"

"Nah, let's leave 'em be." Luke shook his head. "Find an inn, tell him in the morning, I think."

"Good idea." Drake agreed. "We'll leave you to your work then, miss Denise. Let's go, fellas. Shopping as usual first, I think."

----------------------------

Though he grumbled about being pulled out of Onrac after only a day, the promise of returning soon eventually made Bikke agree to fly for Gaia, in the east. North of Tiamat's domain, the capital was nestled inside a small valley that remained the only habitable place in the harshest mountain range of the world.  
"Should be fun to see Gaia City anyways. I never been there." Bikke mused as he steered the Airship over the clouds. "Mountaineering not bein' exactly our thing, yanno."

"I'm just glad we don't have to repeat the trip we had to take to climb down so we could join you guys and start this." Mary winced at the memories. "The Wizards had to come along to fight through all the monsters. It wasn't fun."

"I'll bet." Drake chuckled, looking over the rail at the ocean below. "Well, we'd probably be able to take them now, but the climb would still be a pain. All in all, good thing we have this baby." He patted the rail fondly, then frowned. "Is it far enough away from Tiamat that she won't attack us?"

"That's a tough question." Vlad admitted. "We're not exactly sure where above the Yahnikurm Desert the Sky Palace actually is. Knowing her, though, if she does send a strike force our way it won't be TOO bad." As it turned out, that proved to be accurate; a flight of Wyrms and Wyverns, lesser dragons, intercepted them as they were passing over the start of the mountains. They were dispatched with little trouble by the Light Warriors, as well as the pirates, to their surprise.

"What, you thought we'd be mincemeat for those ugly lizards because of how badly you whupped us back in Pravoka?" Mr. Smite laughed when the question was asked, forgetting that he hadn't actually fought in that encounter. "We were out of shape then. All this travel with you put us back in top condition, and then while you were training with the Dragon King, some of the other locals taught us a few more things. Don't worry about us; when it comes time for the REAL fight in the sky, we'll be more than ready." He thought for a moment. "Although we'd still appreciate it if you guys took Tiamat. We're not THAT ready."

"No matter HOW much we drink." Bikke agreed fervently. "Awright, wizard-os, cammon up here and help me find the place!"

"Wizard-os?" Vlad protested mildly as he and Mary walked to the front of the ship and joined the Captain. With their guidance, the ship was flown down to the valley, landing right in front of Gaia City. Sheltered from the Fiend of Air's influence, it was much more pleasant-looking than Onrac, if a bit simple; most of the buildings were build in a straight line, all facing the same way, across the narrow east-west span of the valley. A road behind the main street led further into the forest, where the tops of a few more buildings could be seen.

"Right, we'll be off to see the sights." Bikke decided. "Don't worry, we'll behave. Ya got me word, we won't be commitin' no crimes worse than disturbin' the peace."

"I suppose that IS behaving for you." Mary acknowledged. "Just as long as we don't have to bail you out of jail when it's time to go."

"Don't get caught, gotcha." Bikke waved as the Pirates climbed over the rail and headed out, followed more sedately by the Light Warriors.

"Our house is down this way." Vlad led them towards the east side of town. "It's really probably a good thing that Bikke's splitting up. I don't know HOW we'd explain HIM to our parents. I hope I don't have to tell you two to play nice."

"We'll be good." Drake promised as they stopped in front of a medium-sized home wedged between a White Magic shop and a Black Magic one. The door was slightly ajar; pushing it open, Mary led the way in.

"Mom? Dad? We're home!"

"Mary?" A woman's voice gasped, followed by the sound of something breaking. A moment later, a woman who looked much like her daughter plus twenty years ran in from another room to stare at them. "And Vlad? You're…"

"Home, ma." The Black Wizard smiled for once. "It's good to see you."

"So we see." An older man with a heavy beard appeared at the top of a staircase. "More than half a year. And look at you, both of you. Light Warriors." He shook his head. "I told you they'd be changed when they came back, Lisa."

"I know, Jim, but I didn't think…" The Wizard's mother broke off as Mary hugged her.

"We're still the same where it counts, mom. It's good to be home."

"Well, don't just stand around all day, sit down." Their father harrumphed as he walked downstairs. "And introduce us. These two are your companions, then?"

"Yes. The larger one is Luke; he's a Knight of Corneria." Vlad nodded. "The other is Drake. As you can probably tell, he's an Elf; one of their government agents, as a matter of fact." Drake winced, looking down at his ninja garb in a new light.

"Come on, man. Can't you put it a better way than that?

"It's true, isn't it?" Vlad retorted.

"And you were telling me to behave?" Luke chuckled. "Enough, you two."

"Yes." Mary sat down as well. "I'll tell you both everything about what we've been doing, but first, I have to admit, we're here on business. Is Senna still living at the pond?" At that, the Wizards' parents exchanged a glance.

"Mary, Senna vanished a few months ago." Her mother spoke first. "We've looked around, but nobody's been able to find what happened to her."

"That's not good." Drake whistled. "I assume there's no way it was just monsters?"

"None." Vlad denied. "Anything she couldn't outfly, she'd put to sleep. No, there's something suspicious going on here. Later tonight, we'll want to go find Bikke, I think. See what the criminal part of town has going on."

"Criminal?" His father repeated for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "You think somebody in this town might have done something to her?"

"If they did, we can make them regret it." Luke smiled bleakly. "We've sort of gotten good at that kind of business. Lots of practice."

"So we've heard. Your teachers told us they were making both of you Wizards when they left for Cardia." Lisa beamed. "We were so proud of you. We still are. Tell us everything."

As Vlad had suggested, after more conversation and dinner, the Light Warriors went back out onto the streets. With the Wizards' guidance they soon located a particularly seedy tavern, and sure enough, inside they found the pirates, drinking up a storm.

"Hey." The bartender glanced at them warningly. "Might want to find someplace else. This isn't one of your nice bars."

"Ho, don't get tricked by looks, Roshio!" Bikke laughed, seeing them. "These four're with my crew! Siddown, lads, have a drink on me!"

"Never turn down the freebies, I always say." Drake shrugged, accepting the proffered mug. Once the attention was off them, he spoke quietly to the Captain. "We've got trouble. That fairy we came here to see vanished mysteriously a few months back, and it can't be monsters. That suggests somebody was up to no good." Bikke's eye narrowed at that.

"Few months back, ya say. I think I might know who yer want right away." Turning away, he feigned jollity and called to another pirate, who was seated several stools away. "Hoy, Sarquiss! Ya said ye'd tell me whatcher doin' here if'n I guess, right?"

"Yarr, Bikke!" The other pirate bellowed back, standing and walking over. "Any ideas finally worked through that thick head o'yers?"

"This 'ere is Sarquiss. He works for Captain Eddy, another ol' sea dog I know." Bikke explained to the Light Warriors. "Came 'ere a few months back, but won't say why. Wanted me to guess." He grinned at Sarquiss. "Well, now, would it be that there fairy who used to live in the lake out back?" Sarquiss grinned back at him.

"Damnation, ya got me. That's right, Cap'n Eddy sent me here to nab the fairy. Some bloke in Onrac'll pay huge for 'er, he said. Bottled 'er so she couldn't get away, handed 'er off to another of me shipmates, and been hangin' round here so nobody'd know 'twas me. Just about ready to leave, though. Oy, what's with those looks?" He scowled at the grim expressions now on the Light Warriors' and Bikke's faces. "Don't tell me yer gone all moralistic on me, Bikke. You ain't got no call to be gettin' preachy at me fer nothin'!"

"Aye, I suppose I don't." Bikke nodded in agreement. "These folks here, though, they're good guys. And the Wizards 'specially, they're from 'round here. Friends o' the fairy, I think. Why don'tcha haul ol' Sarquiss out an' chat with 'im outside, fellas? Then we can go down to Onrac an' have a nice talk with Captain Eddy too."

"Why, you!" Sarquiss suddenly bolted, but the Light Warriors weren't far behind him. All of them ran out the door, which slammed afterwards, and soon painful sounds were heard from the other side. None of the tavern's other patrons paid it the slightest mind, and Bikke just grinned before going back to his beer. After some time, the Light Warriors re-entered.

"Well, that takes care of that." Vlad smirked, then glanced at the bartender. "Sorry about this, but I'm afraid that well out front is out of order for the moment."

"S'okay, I got another out back." Roshio grunted.

"You know, I just adore small-town justice." Drake remarked brightly to nobody in particular. "Even in the big city."

Bikke laughed so hard he fell off his stool.

----------------------------

Later that night, Mary and Drake climbed out of an upper window of the Wizards' house, onto the roof. Sitting down, they looked up at the stars overhead.

"Nice night out." The elf remarked. "The stars look pretty."

"I've always liked it the night sky here." Mary agreed. "Whenever me and Vlad had an argument, I'd come up here to get away from him until he cooled down enough to patch things."

"He'd fight with you?" Drake wondered. "And here I thought you were the only person in the world he wouldn't get testy with. Lady Fire aside, of course, if we're counting her separate from Kary."

"He was even worse when he was younger, hard as that may be to believe." Mary shook her head and smiled faintly at the memories. "Not that I can blame him, with what Kary put him through, but some days I really, truly, wanted to just slap him. Barely ever did, though."

"Barely ever meaning there were a few times." Drake eyed her hammer, which she still kept with her, even in her own childhood home. "I'll keep that in mind in case I ever get the urge to let my own radical tendencies get completely out of hand."

"I'd appreciate it." The White Wizard smiled. "We are going to be together for quite some time, I hope."

"You couldn't get rid of me if I tried." Drake assured her. "I feel like I should make some sort of analogy with that in mind about now, but all I'm coming up with is a leech or some sort of disease, and yeah. No."

"Your imagination failing you? Will wonders never cease." Mary had to laugh a bit at that, but she sobered fairly quickly. "Have you ever thought about what exactly we're going to do? When this is all over, I mean. At this rate, we might even be done before the year is out. If we win, anyways."

"Of course we'll win." The ninja shrugged that off effortlessly. "But that's an interesting point. I'm not really sure. Luke'll be going back to Corneria, of course. Be with the Princess, do the whole hero of the realm bit. Vlad…"

"Will be heading back to Gurgu, for similar reasons." Mary had to chuckle. "We might a wise choice keeping the details of that out of the story we told mom and dad, I think. They're not quite ready for that, I think."

"The poor guy's completely smitten." Drake agreed. "Us, though, I'm not really sure. I can't really see myself setting up shop permanently in either Elfland or here. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely place, but…"

"But you're just not the type to be tied down to any one location." Mary finished, understanding.

"Yeah. I was stuck in Elfland so long. When I got out of it, it was the biggest rush ever, seeing the rest of the world out there." Drake gazed up at the sky once more. "Even if we weren't doing so much good against the Fiends, just seeing everything would make it all worthwhile in my book." He shrugged. "We'll find something to do, I'm sure. Something we both like. As long as we stick together, we'll be good."

"Maybe." Mary murmured softly, mood growing somber once more. "I just hope we do. Stick together, I mean."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Drake's ears twitched as he looked over to her. "Of course we will. Why wouldn't we? I mean, I know it wasn't as deep as the others… Luke and the Princess growing up together, and Vlad and Fire just took one look at each other and, well, yeah. But that doesn't mean our way was worse, just different." He paused, thinking. "You do remember how we started, right?"

"Of course I do!" Mary snapped, rising from her gloom, and Drake chuckled inwardly. "You honestly think I wouldn't?" Her eyes narrowed. "You do too, right?"

"Oh, yes. It was a starry night, kind of like this, on Bikke's ship." Drake looked up again. "We had both sort of come to the conclusion that there was an awful lot about each other we liked, but were kinda tiptoeing around it because we weren't sure it was mutual. Then that night, we were the only ones awake; even the guy on watch had dozed off. I said to hell with it, took a chance and asked, and you said yes. Drew the line at one kiss for that point, but that was more than enough for me." He winked at her. "Accurate enough for you?"

"Almost." The White Wizard teased. "You stole another kiss when we went to sleep. But I didn't mind."

"Even I'm not always perfect, I guess." Drake admitted. "Ah well. Point is, we've kept it up this long, and it's just gotten better. It's not like we have any secrets from each other or anything. Let's just enjoy it, and figure things out as we go along, huh?" He pointed up at the sky, where something bright was moving towards the west. "Look, a shooting star. They're lucky, right? Make a wish."

"All right." Mary closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. "I just hope… well, never mind."

"You sure?" The elf asked her. "You can tell me anything, really. It's fine."

"It's nothing." She frowned up at the shooting star. "That doesn't look exactly right, you know. Not like any other star I've ever seen. A bit square."

"Eh?" Drake squinted up at it. "You might be right. Yeah, it looks weird; and it doesn't look like it's really THAT high up." Simultaneously, they both looked to where it had come from.

"That's the Yahnikurm desert in that direction." Mary frowned. "The Sky Palace."  
"Tiamat. And whatever that is, it's heading for Onrac." Drake growled. "Just great. More trouble." He sighed and relaxed. "Oh well, nothing we can do about it now. Worry about that when we get back."

"Yeah." Mary nodded, and they both fell silent, simply enjoying each others' company for some time more until it was time to go in and sleep for their return trip to Onrac on the next day.


	13. Chapter 12: If I Can't Swim

**_Chapter 12: If I Can't Swim After Forty Days_**

Under the sea, hundreds of thousands of animals swam. Fish, crustaceans, mollusks; but the top of the food chain were the man-shaped Sahagin, the cruel and brutal fishmen who had once warred with the Merfolk. Now, though, they held uncontested dominance below the waves, thanks to the one they had sworn themselves to, who had given their leaders his Blessing. Those leaders now bowed before him, down at the very bottom of the sea, where even the fish feared to come. So far down that not even the rays of the sun could ever reach, but only fade and die trying, before ever touching the dark waters below. Where the Sea Shrine, fabled heart of water, had sunken, bringing the Merfolk low along with it. Where Kraken, Fiend of Water, lurked and plotted and raged against the world above.

"You heard me right. She has abandoned us to our fates." Kraken snarled at one of the Wizard Sahagin before him. "We stand alone against the threat that shall descend upon us soon. The Light Warriors. I do not know how or when they will come, but come they shall, just like they came for my brethren before me. And they will stop at nothing to slay me as well."

"That will not happen, Lord Kraken." A Sahag vowed. "They are dryland folk, who know not the ways of water warfare. As soon as they enter our domain, we shall strike, and their corpses will float back to the surface before they ever near the Sea Shrine."

"I'm so reassured." Kraken replied dryly. "I'll bet Lich's Ogres and Giants made similar vows, as well as Kary's… whatever she had that was smart enough to talk at all." He crossed several pairs of tentacles behind his back and turned to stare at a wall. "But you're all I have, so you'll have to do. You Sahagin are my most dutiful servants, so I'm placing you in command of all my other forces. Even the Naga, Ghosts and Sea Trolls… if any of them refuse to follow your command, direct them to me and I'll correct them. By the neck, if need be. Recall all your Red Sahagin from the surface, and tell them to bring their Sharks as well." He thought for a moment. "Don't bother with the Odd Eyes or the blue Sahagin, though. Those damn Light Warriors have grown so accursedly strong, they'd kill those ones by sneezing. At least the Sharks will be passable meat shields, if nothing else."

"How shall we deploy them?" Another Wizard Sahagin inquired.

"Send the weakest and the best swimmers out first, to intercept them outside the Shrine itself. Keep the strongest ones in here. Especially the Water Elementals; they lack power if they get too far away from me." The Fiend of Water chewed a tentacle tip for a moment. "Don't bother putting any guards on the top floor; no sense in getting the Merfolk riled up. They can't get in that far up, anyways." He suddenly tensed up, but did not turn around. "Well, well. I sense a sister of mine, come to visit again. And here I thought we were through, Tiamat." The Sahagin stared up at the cloud of darkness that hung above their heads. "Go, all of you. You have your orders, so leave me and my sister to have our… family discussion." The fishmen complied all too eagerly; within seconds, the two Fiends were alone together.

"Kraken." Tiamat greeted him coldly. "It was, in fact, my intention to allow you to deal with matters here as you saw fit, without my interference. However, something has come up."

"You don't say." Still looking at the wall, Kraken's lips pulled back in a twisted, disgusting grin. "Something I could help you with? Please, go on, dear sister. I hunger for your words."

"You know of the robots I have pressed into my service." Tiamat explained grudgingly. "They served the Lefeinish before me, and while some of them have fully turned to serve only me, it seems not all of them have. The stories of the Light Warriors circulated among them, and one of them took a risk. He flew from the Sky Tower, with a Cube."

"A Cube?" Kraken didn't have to feign his confusion, partially to his pleasure and partially irritation. "What the hell is a Cube?"

"They're devices used to activate the teleporter in the Mirage Tower." Tiamat continued, voice growing angry. "If the Light Warriors get it, they'll be able to access the Sky Palace from there, bypassing the sky itself entirely! The robot landed in northern Onrac. Have some of your land-crawling minions search for it."

"Ah, such a sad tale that is, sister." The Fiend of Water shook his head, then turned around so she could see his grin. "However, I don't recall you being particularly dripping with sympathy and aid when _I_ needed help. Just the opposite, in fact. Do you remember that, by any chance?" In the darkness that cloaked Tiamat, eyes-many of them-glowed red.

"You dare…"

"Of course I do." Now Kraken sneered, showing his contempt fully. "I am a _Fiend_, sister, and as you so kindly reminded me, that means I have no affection or concern for anything. Even you, or that precious hide of yours you're so bent on protecting that you can't even spare one measly Eye. Well, since you're the strongest and eldest this time around, I do believe I should be following your example. If you've let the key to your door slip through your fingers, that's _your_ problem, sister. I'm looking to my own defenses, and you're on your own." He laughed, sinister and slimy-sounding, and Tiamat raised a claw.

"Have you forgotten what happened when last you angered me, brother?"

"On the contrary." Kraken wagged a tentacle tip. "I remember it all too clearly. However, here and now, we are in the heart of my domain. Do you really want to try your power against mine, here? I wouldn't advise it." He rubbed the tentacle against his chin in mock thought. "Well, I do seem to feel like giving you advice, at least. Since you're hoarding your minions so, if it's _that_ important, you should be able to spare a few to chase down that robot. Perhaps some of your dragons. I won't interfere with them; that would actually be helping the stupid mortals, and I'm not prepared to take this that far. Up to you."

"I won't forget this, Kraken." The Fiend of Air growled as she faded away and disappeared.

"Neither will I, Tiamat." Kraken purred. "But for entirely different reasons, I suspect. Father Chaos, that felt good." He snickered. "I do believe I've actually lifted my spirits some. Let the Light Warriors come. I'll give them a fight to remember; after all, they're coming into _my_ world."

----------------------------

"All right, if Captain Eddy's still in Onrac, he'll probly be hangin' out round a bar on the wharf I know. Ah, there he is." Bikke grunted, eye fixing on another pirate who was lounging on the docks, drinking from a digusting-looking mug of some green swill. "We'll get the details outta him, and then you two can rough him up like ya did with Sarquiss."

"Sounds good." Vlad almost smiled as they approached the other pirate. "So, just going to ask him?"

"Why not? Me and Eddy always got along fairly well, though I see that changin' shortly for some reason." He grinned in greeting. "Ahoy, Eddy! Yeh've got guts showin' yer face round here after that mess with that merchant's daughter!"

"Bikke? Harhar, I'd heard the Pravokan Navy put your head on a pike!" Captain Eddy stood up and grinned right back. "Guess you managed to steal it back! As for the merchant, I was able to get the idjit to follow me out inta the desert with some hired burlyboys. Didn't do him much good 'gainst the sandworms, and the rest was just a matter o' bribery."

"Eh, there's too many of 'em in this city anyways." Bikke shrugged. "The desert, eh? Would that be somethin' to do with the business o' that fairy Sarguiss tol' me about when I ran inta him at Gaia's port? I was hopin' to talk to ya about that."

"That bastard's at the port?" Eddy swore. "I tol' him to stay in the capital an' throw off suspicion. I'll nail 'im to me prow for a figurehead." He shook his head and smiled again. "Yer too late, I'm afraid… sold 'im to a merchant prince out there. Runs a carvan that tends to the north side. Name o' Stan."

"Right. Glad to hear that." Bikke nodded at Mary and Vlad, who advanced with ominous looks in their eyes. "He's all yers, mates."

"We'd like to talk with you about a friend of ours." Mary purred, fingering her hammer. Several broken bones, a few lacerations, and a heave off of the docks later, the Light Warriors walked away, whistling casually.

"Nicked his wallet, too." Drake winked, holding a bulging pack Eddie had carried on his back up. "There's fifty thousand gold pieces in there. Not hard to figure out where he got them from."

"Yeh can use 'em to buy 'er back, then." Bikke advised them. "Now I know what yer thinking', but yeh can't do the same to that fella as ya did to Sarquiss an' Eddy. Those merchant princes in the desert are all connected, an' they hold grudges. Get too rough with Stan an' ya might wake one day to find a pro assassin standin' on yer face."

"How about negotiating?" Drake asked quickly, before the others could protest. "Can we do that?"

"Hell yeah. Of course." Bikke shrugged. "Matter o' fact, he _has_ to; one o' their rules, sorta code thing. He refuses to negotiate, all rules're off and the others in 'is caravan'll letcha do anythin' ya want to him."

"Then we'll be fine. Trust me on this one." The ninja winked at his friends, then blinked. "Wait, what do you mean 'yeh'? Aren't you coming along?"

"Nah, Smite can handle the steering by now, an' I need to have Denise teach me how to work that submarwhatever." Bikke explained, sniffing Eddy's discarded mug dubiously and tossing it into the sea after him. "No way I'm lettin' her drive it to the Sea Shrine. Her ma'd keelhaul me."

"Guess that makes sense." Luke acknowledged. "We'll be off, then. See you in a couple days."

"Aye, and then it's time to haul Kraken up to the stand for all the shit he's done." Bikke chuckled grimly. "An' people think _my_ rap sheet's long. Be off with ya, I got some learnin' to do."

Though he had a few false starts and nervous moments, after he grew used to the steering Mr. Smite proved to have a steadier hand than his erratic Captain, and took them to the north end of the Onrac Desert in a day. From there, they lowered the airship over the first caravan they found and dropped a pirate from a rope to ask for directions to Stan's. Though they didn't dare try to land the airship on the shifting sands, Drake suggested that they keep it hovering over the caravan in question when they found it while he, Mr. Smite and Luke went down to negotiate, on the grounds that those two looked the most visually intimidating.

"Hello, sir!" The elf cheerfully greeted the stunned merchant as they jumped down from the ropes. "You would be Stan, I hope? We understand you recently acquired a certain rare treasure from Gaia, and are interested in purchasing her." The swarthy merchant smiled at that.

"Ah, news travels fast. Indeed, we have, although I regret to inform you that it will not come cheap."

"Really? Such a shame." Drake made a dramatically tragic face. "And here I was hoping we could persuade you on the 'not-getting-bombed-from-above' discount." Stan looked up at the airship, then back to them, then repeated. Getting the hint, Luke and Mr. Smite flexed their muscles ominously.

"I see." Stan nodded, then moved his arm in a flash of steel that went skittering away across the sand as Drake's hand flashed out to meet it. Sucking his fingers, Stan stared at the ninja's sword.

"Don't do that." Drake advised him. "Well?"

"This is… you will regret this if the merchant princes hear of it!" Stan blurted.

"This? Nah, this is just negotiation." Drake reasoned. "Of course, if you refuse to negotiate, maybe we might have to get cruder, but the way I hear it, if you refuse to negotiate then we have every right to respond accordingly. What's it going to be?"

"You call _this_ negotiation?" Stan sputtered.

"Honest negotiation." Drake shrugged, then dropped the cheerfulness. "Enough. Your call. How much are you selling her for? Think _very_ carefully about your answer, unless you want to end up like the pirate who sold her. We've already dealt with him." Stan stared at him, working it out, before hanging his head.

"For you, practically at cost. Fifty thousand."

"Well what do you know, that's exactly what I was going to try and settle for after further negotiation! And here we are on that number right off! Well then, let's have it at that, shall we?" Drake tossed Eddy's wallet to him. "Right, get that fairy for us, will you? And in case you're thinking about coming out of there with a crossbow or anything, those two mages up on the ship that are watching you have _very_ itchy trigger fingers. You're lucky they didn't fire after that stunt with the dirk." Stan stared up at Vlad and Mary peeping over the airship's rail and nodded slowly, then turned and went back into his caravan, emerging with a glass bottle.

"Here. Take her and leave me alone."

"Pleasure doing business with you." Drake grabbed the bottle, and they climbed back onto the ship. "Right, time to let you out, I think." He uncorked out, and a tiny, winged female flew out, no larger than his hand. Her leotard looked to be made out of leaves.

"Right, I suppose I should be thankin' ye." She admitted in an accented, high-pitched voice. "From what I heard ye paid ol' Stan back in full for that stunt'a his. Mind if I ask why?"

"Anything for an old friend." Mary waved at her. "It's us, Senna. Mary and Vlad." Upon seeing them, the fairy's suspicious frown melted away.

"Aha, ye two! That explains it!" She looked around at the pirates and tutted. "Ye've been mixing up with the wrong sort o' folks while ye've been gone, ain'tcha? I warned ye 'bout that."

"Just the opposite, actually, miss Senna." Drake assured her. "These two have been a shining influence on us all, and have convinced every one of us to reform and mend out ways. You have my word, we haven't gotten caught for a single crime since we met them."

"Oh, give me a break." Vlad rolled his eyes.

"Ye wouldn't happen ta be an insurance salesman too, wouldja?" Senna laughed. "So, ye came all this way just ta rescue lil' ol' me, then? Sweet, but I ain't buyin'. Out with it. Yer Light Warriors, yer savin' the world, how can I help ye?"

"Drat, we've been found out." Mary laughed as well. "We need some of your Oxyale, Senna. It's to get to Kraken so we can kill him."

"That's a good enough reason fer me." Senna nodded. "Get me some water an' I'll mix it up fer ya. Think ye could gimme a ride back to Gaia after yer done makin' fishcakes outta ol' soggy?"

"No problem at all." Luke assured her. "Right then, back to Onrac City. Time to get back to work."

----------------------------

One more night of sleep later, the Light Warriors awoke at sunrise and walked down to the docks as the people of Onrac City were just starting their days. Most were still indoors, but there were a few civilians walking the streets, ignoring the Light Warriors as they went about their business. Even in the half-flooded city, they survived, and continued to do so despite everything Kraken had thrown at them.

"We never did stop by the people in charge here to explain who we were." Drake noted, observing the disinterest. "Even with the Airship, I guess people just assume we're random adventurers. Should we do something about that?"

"Nah. Waste of time." Luke shook his head. "Should be fairly obvious when the Sea Shrine comes back up."

"Fair enough." Drake agreed as they reached the docks. Here, there was more activity, and familiar; Bikke's pirates were swimming around the shed containing the submarine, apparently preparing it for action.

"All right, that'll do it! Get back up here, you swabs!" Mr. Smite yelled from the dock, then turned to greet the Warriors. "You're awake. Good. It's ready to go now; we just need to christen it."

"Is that really that important?" Mary wondered. "I mean, I know it's a tradition, but…"

"S'more than that, lassie." Bikke emerged from the shed with Denise, who looked to have been working all night from the bags under her eyes. "It be one way o' honorin' the sea, somethin' every true man who calls himself a man o' the water does, even if we don't like the current management none. But maybe today, that'll all change, and we'll get the right sort of fella back again. I might be flyin' the _Icarus_ now, but the water'll always be me true home, an' I ain't skippin' on the rules. Ye got a name for this baby, gel?"

"I haven't been able to think of a good one." Denise admitted.

"Hrrrm." Bikke chewed his lip, then nodded. "Right. Smite, the booze." Taking the bottle his First Mate silently offered him, Bikke leaned over the edge of the dock and hurled it at the submarine's hull under the shed. "From now on, this vessel's the good ship… nah. Not if I'm steerin' it. Right, this is the _dread_ ship, _Rhode_! Climb aboard, lads!" Yelling in approval, the pirates piled into the shed and down the ladder. "Right, we're off. Go tell yer ma, Denise; we'll be back once we rip Kraken a new one."

"Right." She nodded at Bikke. "Be careful."

"Me? Ha!" Bikke laughed. "Don't worry, I ain't died this long, I don't plan on it now. Come on, fellas." The Light Warriors followed the pirates down, with Bikke last, closing the hatch behind him. Inside the submarine, it was all one chamber, with controls almost as complicated as some of those on the _Icarus_. There were many glass windows at various places around it, largest of all in the front, showing the murky waters and an occasional fish outside. Where there weren't windows, there were glowing displays and control panels. The pirates were already positioned at the latter, with Mr. Smite standing at the helm. Bikke jumped onto a raised seat in the center of the chamber and grinned.

"Cast off, lads!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Mr. Smite began moving the wheel while two pirates to his sides worked consoles of their own, and the submarine came to life, slowly turning away from Onrac towards the east.

"Just sit back and let us handle this part, fellas." Bikke advised the Light Warriors as they began moving forward. "Me an' Denise taught these lugs how to do this. Kraken'll send out a buncha nasties to get in our way, I'll bet, but the _Rhode_ can handle 'em, no sweat. Once we actually get to the Shrine, you'll be up."

"Sounds like a plan." Luke nodded, sitting in a chair at the back and relaxing. After a moment, the other three did as well, and they watched the pirates take the submarine deeper and deeper. Stunned fish swam away in fear as their metal analogue passed their way; even sharks took one look and fled as fast as they could. Those that weren't corrupted did, at least; those that were tried pathetically to bite into the hull, and the _Rhode _repelled them without even slowing down. It was an hour into the voyage, when the light from the sun far above was just starting to fade, when Mr. Smite began growling.

"Is that… yeah. Enemies sighted, Captain!" The huge pirate reported. "Red Sahags. Hundreds of them! They're everywhere!"

"Well then, ain't that considerate of 'em." Bikke chuckled. "We'll have to thank 'em appropriately. Time to start the party, lads! Ready the harpoon guns!"

"Harpoon gun?" Drake raised an eyebrow. "What the heck is that?"

"Lefeinish technology! This baby's swarming with it!" Bikke chortled. "Ye think folks today coulda built this baby without it?" The pirates followed his orders, and as the swarms of Sahagin closed in, Bikke raised a hand. "Wait for it, wait for it…" The hand dropped. "NOW!" The submarine began shaking as weapons around the hull unloaded, and the Sahagin screamed, clusters of metal spears exploding outward into them and tearing through their scales. The weapons continued firing, and the submarine continued on; within minutes, the swarm was left behind, and they continued deeper.

"Next wave sighted, Captain!" Mr. Smite reported soon. "Big Eyes this time!"

"Hrm…" Bikke frowned. "Those buggers use the Flash spell. Can't let 'em get too close, or we'll be blinded. Good news is, they're slow. Net shots!" Spheres of steel were launched at the Eyes, seemingly innocuous. When they reached their targets, though, they suddenly expanded into nets of steel wire that snared the Big Eyes and dragged them down and away. "Right! Next!"

From there, Bikke and his pirates continued to repel any and all attacks. When snake-bodied naga with human heads came swimming up, murmuring the words to deadly spells, Bikke released a load of what he called mines, steel spheres covered in spikes. The naga scornfully destroyed them with their magic, and the mines detonated in horrendous explosions, the spikes becoming shrapnel that tore the wicked spellcasters to shreds. When sharks blasted forward, skins ashen grey and faces shining with the violet light of Kraken's Blessing, Bikke responded with more explosives, this time torpedos that mimicked the fishes' streamlined shape to hit their targets at high speed before detonating. Even when pirate ghosts rose from the depths, angrily cursing them, Bikke simply raised a crystal orb for Mary to focus a Harm spell into; the Spell Cannon released it widely onto the enemy and dissipated them. Finally, long after the light above had faded and Bikke had had to activate the submarine's own lights, they saw something ahead in the gloom. A massive, square-shaped edifice of ancient, crumbling architecture. It had been a wonder, every inch of stone carved to represent the ocean and all the life that dwelled therein. Then it had sunk, and rotted, and decayed. Still, the outer structure remained solid enough that there was no visible way inside. Sitting on the bottom of the ocean floor, the Sea Shrine loomed before them.

"Now what?" Luke wondered. "How do we get in?"

"There's a door there, halfway down!" Mr. Smite pointed out. "Shall we make for it?"

"Aye!" Bikke agreed, then blinked as something else began rising up between them and the Sea Shrine. Something unspeakably large, that groaned as it shifted its fins and opened it eyes, revealing the purple light.

"A whale… a Blessed whale." Mr. Smite choked out, stunned. "Captain, what do we do against _that_? The torpedoes again?"

"Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" Bikke roared, pounding his fist into a red button on his chair's armrest. "_Harpoon cannon, fire!_"

"Harpoon _cannon_?" Drake stared as, with a groan and a rumble, something emerged from the nose of the submarine, below the front window. A spearhead larger than a man. With a rushing sound, it blasted outward on a chain and slammed into the whale, right between the eyes. The humongous beat roared in pain, and the chain began retracting, pulling the submarine to the foe where the harpoon was lodged in its face.

"We're rushing at it!" Drake pointed out the obvious. "What are you _doing_?"

"Kickin' this punk's sorry arse back to the bottom!" Bikke smashed a matching red button on his other armrest, and the front of the ship popped out dozens of other blades, these ones apparently stationary. The vessel slammed into the whale, and again it roared.

"You're _insane_!" Vlad screamed. And Bikke laughed, long and wild.

"Maybe I am, but this bugger's _dead!_ Release!" A third button was slammed, and both spikes and chain detached. Mr. Smite pulled the submarine back, and the whale sank down, unmoving, its head filled with sharp metal. "Phew, wasn't sure that'd work."

"You _weren't_?" Luke demanded.

"Well, how was I supposed to test it? You saw fer yerself, that one's a one-shot." Bikke shrugged as the submarine pulled into the Sea Shrine's entrance. "Last ditch. Well, anyways, here's your stop-off point. We'll circle this baby around and keep ol' fishface's boys occupied, the ones that're out here anyways. You get in there and bring the big man down!"

"Right." Mary fingered a vial of Oxyale around her neck, similar to those worn by the other three Light Warriors. "Good thing I thought to work with Senna on these. A little modification, and they actually let us breathe water. Let's go."

"Right." Luke climbed up and opened the hatch, then shoved his way out through the water that poured in. The other three followed suit quickly and slammed the hatch back before too much came in and overloaded the emergency drains. And then they stood inside the Sea Shrine, at the bottom of the ocean, where the Fiend of Water lurked. It was dark and dismal; there was no luminescent glow as the Earth Cave had held, nor the ever-burning fires of Gurgu, making Mary's modified Lamp spell necessary from the beginning. Revealed, the Sea Shrine was no more pleasant to see; the halls before them were dead and silent. Not even seaweed and bottom-feeders dared thrive here; there only statues, remnants of long-dead merfolk, made of the same white marble that formed the shrine itself with opal gemstones decorating them. In the sunken shrine, they seemed a mockery. No life, no light, nothing but the eternal motion of the water that filled it, held it down below.

"It's wrong." Mary shuddered. "Water should hold this place up, not keep it down. This is bad. Evil. I can feel it, all around; Kraken's touch permeates every drop of this. We have to be careful."

"Aren't we always?" Drake remarked cheerfully, watching the submarine slip away. "At least Bikke and his boys are joining in this time around. Just hope they don't miss and hit the Shrine with some of those torpedoes. I doubt your Element would appreciate that."

"_My _Element?" Mary jumped. "Why do you call him that?"

"Well, that stupid Vampire said Luke's is the Orb of Air, so that leaves yours as the Orb of Water." The elf reasoned. "That means that it's going to be down to you to lay the finishing blow on the big nasty this time. Feel up to it?"

"I don't know…" Mary shook her head.

"Don't worry, we'll help you out." Drake smiled encouragingly. "Like _this_!" Suddenly clenching the fingers of the Zeus Gauntlet he had received in the Castle of Ordeals, he sent lightning bolts skittering through the water, though they quickly dissolved in the conduction to a mobile sort of glow that washed over the hiding Sahagin he had spotted, roasting them. The Red ones expired, shrieking, but the green ones swam out, crispy but alive.

"Your magic will not suffice to get past us!" One of them rasped.

"Blessed. Four of them." Luke glanced at Vlad. "Feel that this is worth a stronger spell, or should we brace 'em physically?"

"Let's carve them up." Vlad replied with a nasty smirk, pulling out a dirk that was longer than his normal knives. "I picked this up in Gaia. Always wanted one as a kid, but never could afford it, and I probably would have killed myself if I actually tried to use it. Now, though…"

"You've got me to thank for that!" Drake laughed, launching himself at the first foe. "Remind me to send you the bill someday!" As he neared it, the Sahag sneered and extended its arm, firing a jet of boiling water that hissed as it moved. "Whoa! A Wizard Sahag, eh?" Fortunately, Bahamut's training had paid off; Drake took advantage of the water to launch himself up and over the shot and Sahag both, spinning as he came around behind it and taking its head off.

"Ugh." Luke grunted as he simply took the hit and cleaved his foe in half.

"Come on…" Mary seemed to be following a similar strategy, but then the spell neared her, she raised her hammer and blocked with it, avoiding most of the damage and maintaining momentum that she continued with to strike the foe, crushing its ribcage.

"Hahaha…" The fourth one laughed as Vlad maintained his distance. "Smart move, but I'll get my spell off first-" It choked as the Black Mage's dirk slammed into his throat, and Vlad lowered his hand.

"Who said I was throwing a _spell_?" Walking over, he retrieved the dagger. "Well, that seems to have done for these."

"Behind you!" Mary urged, and her brother spun to see a shark ramming him.

"Damn!" He tried to defend with the dirk, but despite the wound he scored across its face, the beast bit down on his arm. Before it could tear, though, Drake was there, slashing much deeper and killing it.

"Gotta watch out. We're all better, but we're still not perfect." He noted.

"Yeah. No, it's okay, let me." Luke waved at Mary, then concentrated and healed the wound on Vlad's arm. "You've got better range of magic than I do, so I should use my healing spells first if we've got a moment to relax. I can't use Harm spells, for one, and we've seen that there are ghosts here."

"True enough." Mary admitted as they continued towards the back of the entry hall. At the end, the path forked to two staircases. One went up, the other down. "Which way should we go?"

"Kraken will be below." Vlad predicted. "We should take that path."

"Wait." Drake darted over to the other stairs. "I hear something. Somebody calling us. Sounds like a woman." The others exchanged glances.

"The mermaids. It's got to be." Luke realized. "Should we go check on them?"

"Of course we should." Mary looked surprised that it was even an issue.

"I don't know. There will be more monsters up there. It might be better just to head for Kraken as fast as possible." Vlad shook his head dubiously.

"I say we go see them. They might have some sort of treasures or something to help in the fight." Drake reasoned. Luke nodded as well.

"That's sound thinking."

"Oh, all right." Vlad snapped. "Let's go, then. Just try to hurry it up." Climbing the stairs that led up, they found themselves facing more of the pirate ghosts, advancing down the halls and moaning. The spirits of those who had been called down as sacrifices to Kraken lurched towards them, eager for company. "Sister, I believe Luke correctly pointed this out as your cue. I doubt my fire magic would prove effective enough against Undead this strong when underwater."

"Fair enough." Mary raised her hands. "I've been wanting to try out this anyways. It's the strongest Harm spell there is. Let's see how these ilk like it." Spheres of light appeared halfway out of both palms, too bright to look at properly, and blazed out holy energy that melted the ghosts as it washed over them, continuing down the hall to cause more shrieks beyond their vision.

"It's even reaching the ones we can't see yet. Awesome." Drake gave Mary a quick hug. "And you were worried about not pulling your weight? Sheesh!"

"If only Kraken was undead…" She gave him a worried smile. "Oh well, let's go on before the ones I couldn't reach zero in on us." They followed the wake of the Harm spell through the twisting tunnels, and soon enough located another staircase. As soon as they neared it, all of them could hear the cries Drake had noticed.

"Help!" A female voice pleaded, endlessly. "Help! Help!"

"Have no fear, the Light Warriors are here!" Drake bounded up the stairs and struck a pose. "Afraid we've all got girlfriends-or boyfriend, in one case-already, but we've still got plenty of autographs!"

"You know, I haven't said this enough lately." Vlad followed him with a withering glare. "Idiot."

"Ignore him." Luke followed up, though whether he was speaking to Drake or to the mermaids was unclear. "Hey, girls. Calm down, we're here." Mary was last, casting one more eye behind her for more Ghosts before climbing up. Merfolk were there, as they had hoped; despite common referring to them as mermaids, both genders were present, hovering in the water on many-colored fishtails. Though their faces were different, they all held the same emotions; relief, tinged with worry. The one who had been doing the calling was a pink-tailed young woman with blond hair who relaxed visibly at seeing their presence.

"You're here. Thank you. Are you here to kill Kraken?"

"That's the plan." Luke nodded. "We've already got Lich and Kary down, so we should be able to manage him too."

"Darious managed to send us word of you in a dream, using a spell." Another mermaid chimed in. "We've been waiting so long…"

"Does Kraken keep you in here?" Drake wondered, looking around. The top floor of the Sea Shrine was no nicer than the rest; despite some apparent efforts, the corruption persisted, leaving it dark and seaweed-infested.

"Yes, all of us have lived our entire lives on the fifth floor." The first one to speak shuddered. "He rarely visits us, thankfully, but when he does…" She shuddered again. "Please, kill him. Then we can return to the outside world. If we don't…" She looked away.

"If you don't, what?" Mary picked up on that anxiously. "What is it?"

"We've taken a risk by calling you up here." A merman with a long black beard explained. "Kraken said we were free to choose if we wanted to help you or not, but that if we did and you lost, he'd turn us all into nothing but bubbles."

"That's not going to happen." Luke promised. "We're going to bring him down."

"We hoped you would. That's why we took the risk." The first speaker smiled as several other Merfolk brought forth various pieces of armor and weapons. "Anything you wish from here is yours."

"Is that opal gear?" Vlad stared at it. "That should provide amazing protection. Heavy, though."

"That lets me out for it." Drake shook his head. "Mobility's important for me now. It's all yours, big guy."

"Nice." Luke looked it all over. "Shield, breastplate, gauntlet. Oh, here's something else." He held up an opal bracelet. "This'll be protective for you guys, won't it?"

"Yes, it's enchanted like the ones we wear." Vlad held up his arm to display a silver bracelet. "The best that lightweights like us can come to wearing armor, for the most part. Shame there's only one. Take it, sister."

"But…" Mary frowned. "I can take hits better than you can. Admittedly, not by much, but still."

"You're also more reckless than I am." Vlad pointed out. "When it comes to fighting, anyways. Doubtless because you trained with Luke. Just take it, we don't have time to argue. Please."

"All right." Mary slipped it on, then glanced at Luke, who was beginning to draw his old armor off. "Hey hey, not in public. Sara will murder you if she finds out. Could somebody show him to a side room?"

"Weapons here too." Drake was looking them over with interest. "An axe and a staff. Neither is any of our styles, unfortunately."

"Let me see those." Vlad walked over to them. "As I thought, enchanted. They both have spells stored in them like that gauntlet of yours."

"So they can be used to cast spells instantly, without the chanting?" Drake grinned. "Cool. So what are they?"

"A medium-strength fire spell for the staff." The Black Wizard muttered, then widened his eyes as he held the other. "And for the axe, medium-strength Harm!"

"Now we're talking!" Luke emerged from the side room he had been shone, clad in his new gear. "I'll take that, thanks. And you should use the staff, Drake."

"Actually, I was thinking Mary could take it." The Ninja disagreed. "That way she'll have an offensive spell if she's in a tight spot."

"Right." Mary picked the staff up. "Well then, thank you for everything. We'll go fight Kraken, then."

"One more thing." The first mermaid to greet them indicated something; a stone slab as large as a man, covered writing. "Darious told us to tell you of this. It's too heavy for you to take now, but once you slay Kraken, please return. Apparently, you'll need this. I don't know why it's carved in stone, but it's… well, it translates the common language into Lefeinish. Darious said you'd need it."

"Hey, remember that one guy in Melmond, Dr. Unne?" Drake snapped his fingers. "He was looking for this baby. Boy, will he be happy."

"That seems to mean we'll need to go to Lefein." Vlad noted.

"A prophecy's a handy thing to have around." Luke agreed. "Well, cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, Kraken. Thanks, folks. We won't let you down." Turning, they proceeded back to the fourth floor. More ghosts had gathered behind them, and now lurched towards them, moaning. "Let's try these babies out, Mary!"

"All right." Mary nodded. The two Light Warriors held their weapons high, and the spells formed. Though the fire magic was dampened by the water, combining it with the Harm spell from Luke's axe strengthened it back to normal potency, and the Ghosts were laid to waste. Continuing back the way they came, they dropped to the third floor, and then further down to the second. Down the winding pathways of the Sea Shrine they continued. Here, they met even nastier foes than the Wizard Sahags; aquatic serpents, poison-clawed giant lobsters, and hulking Sea Trolls all came their way. For all of them, Vlad's lightning, Luke's blade and Drake's combination of both destroyed them all, and Mary kept them alive as they continued. The underwater halls wound on, each exactly the same as the one before, seemingly endless. But finally, they found more stairs and went down once more.

"This should be the final floor." Drake noted. "Hey, wait, a side chamber." Inside it, they found a solitary treasure chest. "Let's see here." The elf blinked as he opened it. "What the heck? Just a scrap of ribbon. Is this a joke?" As they saw it, both Vlad and Mary gasped. "Whoa. Guess not?"

"The enchantments on that thing make other armor magics look like a joke." Vlad explained hoarsely.

"It's got protection against every magical element in existence." Mary finished.

"Tricked out to the max. Nice." Drake surveyed the ribbon approvingly. "So, who wants it? One of you two, I'd say." Mary and Vlad glanced at each other.

"Your turn this time, brother." Mary decided. "I've got the opal bracelet."

"You want me to wear a ribbon now. Wonderful." Vlad snorted in disgust. "I'm sure Fire will love the look."

"Use it to tie your hair back." Luke suggested. "The ponytail look. I've heard it's in right now."

"Yes, but so are mohawks." Vlad grumbled, but did as the Knight suggested. "There. Let's go."

"Testy." Drake noted, then jumped the lightning bolt. "Heh heh heh-whoa, what are those?" Coming their way were spinning cones of animated water.

"Water elementals!" Mary identified them. "Watch out!"

"Right. I'll shock them!" Drake started to use the Zeus Gauntlet, then grunted as Vlad shoved him aside.

"No, out of the way!" Chanting, the Black Wizard unleashed a white mist that cooled the water as it moved towards the foes. The Water Elementals soaked it up like sponges, instantly freezing solid. "Ice, not lightning. Quick, smash them before they break free!" The other three quickly did so, and they moved on. Several more waves of Water Elementals came on them, and though they managed to fight back several times, the Light Warriors always won in the end and continued to massive doors that looked to be carved out of opals of tremendous size.

"Three guesses who's through there, and the first two don't count." Drake smirked. "Everybody ready?"

"Looks like it." Luke nodded. "Mary?" For a moment, the White Wizard looked worried, but then she bit her lip and nodded.

"Let's do this." Shoving the immensely heavy doors open, they entered the final room of the Sea Shrine. The chamber was decorated grandiosely; wall-to-wall statues in the same style of the rest of the Shrine lined it. All were identical, of a single merman. He held a trident, wore a crown, and had a beard that would even put Bikke's to shame.

"Who's this guy?" Drake wondered.

"I'm so glad you asked that…" A voice hissed, full of malice, from the glowing purple sphere that rested on the altar before the throne, a familiar sight by now. It opened, and one by one, tentacles began to emerge; long, winding, blubbery limbs that poured out like water. Tens, hundreds of them sloughed out before the rest of the Fiend followed suit; after a triangular blue vest came a bloated, bulbous head of the same purple flesh. Turning upright, he revealed his face; tiny, deep-sunk eyes shining with cruelty gazed at them from above a wide mouth filled with broken, rotting teeth. And as the familiar feeling of darkness and dread washed over them, and all the water in the room evaporated in a rush of power, the Fiend of Water sneered. "This is my alternate, the Element of Water. Or at least, the physical form he liked to take most often. Not very impressive, is it?" He stroked one statue with a tentacle, then crushed its head. "He worked so hard, to make the sea teem with life, to tame its waves into a form that could support mankind, to help them. And then I came, and in half the time I undid everything of his and turned it all to chaos and despair. I like to keep these statues here, so I can look at him, and gloat over how much of a fool he was. How pathetic!"

"I gotta agree with those last two words of yours, but probably not in the same way you meant them." Drake shook his head in disgust. "Man, do _you_ ever have ego issues."

"I think you had better watch that tongue of yours, brat. Don't want to lose it, do you?" Kraken wagged a tentacle. "Of course, now that you're here you don't really have a choice in the matter. You should have thought this out better. Mortals, challenging Kraken, the Fiend of Water? How foolhardy!"

"We challenged the other two Fiends." Luke shrugged. "And we won. Seems to me this shouldn't be too different."

"Is that so." Kraken purred. "And yet, while you two seem to be big talkers, I don't see anything of the sort coming from the one who actually holds my Orb." He raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Mary, isn't it? The White Mage, from Lefein?"

"White Wizard, actually." Vlad corrected. "We've been upgraded."

"Quite, brat. I wasn't talking to you. You had your time in the spotlight with Kary. Now it's your sister's turn." Kraken dismissed him with the flick of a tentacle before focusing back on Mary. "Well, Mary? I'm your enemy, more than any others. You must hate me, don't you? Come on, show me. You know who and what I am, it shouldn't be _too_ hard."

"I… I will kill you." Mary glared at Kraken, raising her hammer threateningly. "Kraken, Fiend of Water. I'll stop you, and everything you've done. It all ends here." Kraken was silent for a moment, and then he laughed, face contorting in a smirk.

"Ho, ho, ho. Was that it? Come on, try again, with more feeling. You can do better than that!"

"Don't listen to him, Mary." Drake urged him. "It's fine. We'll all bring this slimy bastard down together."

"You think your words can reassure her, elf?" Kraken tutted. "You're wrong, I'm afraid, horribly so. She knows."

"Knows what?" Luke frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Something that most people would consider an good quality, that so few people lack in this world. In short, your little healer is too nice. Far, far too nice. Hatred, which came so easily to her boyfriend and brother; she finds it extremely difficult to manage. Even with Astos, who killed you, Drake. At the time, she felt rage. But after, she couldn't maintain it. She could only feel pity for that twisted wretch and the misery his life had been. And now, even me; she can't bring herself to hate me. Dislike, rage, anger, but not hate. Perhaps I made the right choice in not troubling her life before now after all. She will do her best to summon it up, to kill me like she did every other foe she's forced herself to slay, against her own instincts. But it won't be enough. Not against the Fiend of Water. And because of that, you will lose."

"You really are one hell of a mouthy squid." Drake glared angrily up at Kraken. "Seems you've made a bit of a bad move, though. Evaporating all the water in here? Showy, but hardly smart. I doubt you can fight to the fullest when it's dry, given that form of _yours_. And you were mocking your alternate's?"

"Oh, but who said we _were_ going to fight in the dry?" Kraken cackled, and with a surge of power the back of the chamber exploded, revealing the ocean's bottom beyond. Still facing them, the Fiend of Water blasted away backwards, out into the endless seas. "Come on then, Light Warriors. Come and get me!"

"Shit!" Drake cursed, leaping out of the shattered chamber. "After him!"

"Don't get too worked up!" Vlad warned as the other three ran out as well. "He probably wants us to get separated. Easier to fight us that way, when we can't help each other. He's intelligent."

"And that's not all he is. He's afraid, too. I could see it in his eyes." Luke continued. "All that bluster was to try and hide that. He's scared of us. He knows we can kill him."

"Then let's do just that." Mary clenched her jaw. "Pity there's no shield spells that I can think of that'd be useful here."

"Indeed! There's hardly an Anti-Pummeling spell!" Kraken's voice came from above, and they all braked and stared up as the Fiend of Water descended upon them. "Gotcha!"

"Damn, lost track of him in this darkness!" Drake spat as massive tentacles lashed out at them all, striking over and over again with blows that would fell an ox. Luke bore them well enough, and Drake managed to dodge most of his, but the two Mages were caught completely flat, reeling under the punishment from the endless limbs. Rolling away, they stood again once they were out of range, breathing heavily.

"You like surprises, don't you, punk?" Vlad snarled. "Well, so do I; I've been saving this, just for you!" From his back, wings of electricity formed, hundreds of lightning bolts lined up like feathers. He flung out his hands, palms forward, and the bolts shot out at Kraken in rapid succession, slamming into tentacles one after another. In the water, the bursts of power as they impacted were twice as large, and Kraken pulled away, hissing.

"Ah, so you planned ahead! You already knew your sister would be unable to fight me herself, and compensated. But it won't be enough!" Luke and Drake had chopped off a dozen tentacles between them, and from the stumps, a glowing liquid the same purple as Kraken's flesh gushed out. But hundreds more still remained, and now they charged the two Mages. At the last second, though, both of them shimmered and vanished, and Kraken only pummeled sand and rock. "What! Where did you go?"

"Back here." Mary called him from where she and Vlad now stood next to Drake and Luke. Turning, Kraken narrowed his eyes.

"I see. Exit, the teleportation spell. Using _that_ in combat? Maybe I'm underestimating you. You're still a wimp, but you've learned to overcome your lack of a killer instinct with intelligence." He spat. "Bahamut must have been the one who saw to that. I'll have to thank him appropriately once I'm finished with you. Sink the Cardia Islands back into the ocean, I think. That seems appropriate. But first, it looks like I'll need to give you a little more respect-_ack!_" He reeled under Vlad's intense lightning barrage again.

"You talk too much." The Black Wizard informed him. "People who do always bothered me. This is a fight, not an intellectual debate. Focus if you want to have any hope at all."

"But Fiends do not have hope, Vlad. We have _certainty_!" Kraken rushed at them again, and they raised their weapons only to see, too late, the glow of electricity around them. The lightning spell, when it hit, had more punch than any they had felt before, and even Luke reeled. "You're not the only one who can take advantage of lightning under water!" Laughing, Kraken began pummeling them once more.

"Hold on, guys!" Gasping in pain, Mary nevertheless managed to push out healing spells that covered them all. Striking back, Luke and Drake began to chop a path through the tentacles once more.

"You were saying something about her lack of willpower?" Drake taunted the Fiend of Water. "Looks to me like she's just fine in that regard. Taking hits like that, and still rolling off her magic like it was nothing; _damn_, I'm proud of you, Mary."

"Hmmm…" Kraken stared at her, fighting on automatic with his tentacles as he thought. "I see. If it's to help your friends, those you care about, _that's_ where your willpower comes into play. Now it all makes sense. Well then, what will happen if you can no longer do even that? Let's break this up, kiddies!" Turning around, the Fiend of Water began spinning like a top, tentacles extended outward like a wheel. The water churned and whirled around him, and the Light Warriors were caught up in it. Laughing, Kraken released electricity again, and the bolts fired wildly, some of them slamming into each of the heroes as they were hauled along helplessly. Suddenly, Kraken stopped and lunged out with his tentacles. All four Light Warriors were positioned at intervals around his body, separate from each other, and despite their best efforts they were unable to join back up again.

"Damn you!" Drake raged, slicing at tentacles as they smashed him back. "Hold on, Mary, I'm coming!"

"Don't give up, sister!" Vlad yelled as well, turning the tentacles that came against him to lifeless stone that crumbled off from Kraken's body. Only Luke remained silent, slicing away without a word, as Kraken's face leered at Mary from behind the endless limbs that pounded her.

"They know. They know you have no hope of standing against me alone, and they struggle to reach you, to save you. It will be too late."

"We'll see about that!" Mary held up the staff the merfolk had given her and summoned the flames, but Kraken ignored them, and his tentacles continued to strike.

"Fire underwater? Maybe you're not so intelligent after all." Kraken chortled. "Let's find out. When Vlad died fighting Kary, all was not lost. You revived him, and he finished her. But here, _you_ are the one with the Orb of Water. And more importantly, you are the only one who can use Life magic, to revive the dead. So, if you die this time, will there be any hope left at all?" His eyes glittered with glee.

"The Orb of Water…" Mary repeated slowly. "That's right, I still have that!" Shifting her grip on her hammer to her right hand, she pulled out the dead grey Orb with her left hand and slapped at a tentacle with it. The Orb glowed white, and the limb dissolved. And Kraken howled.

"You little wretch! You'll pay for that! Enough talk!" More tentacles raged against her, pulling away from the others to leave only just enough to keep them occupied. More tentacles smashed at her endlessly, not even giving her time to breath between strikes, and Mary faltered, feeling her health drain away.

"I can't give up..." She gasped, trying to form the words for a healing spell. "I can't let them down…"

"You don't have a choice! It's too late!" Kraken declared. "_Die!_" But as Mary's life trickled towards its end, there was a surge of magic, and she raised her head again, healed. And Kraken gaped. "What? Who? _How?_"

"Don't let him win!" Luke called at last, rolling off another healing spell. "You're stronger than he thinks! Stronger than you know! Beat him!"

"I will!" Mary yelled as well, taking advantage of Kraken's shock to go on the offensive. Crushing tentacles with her hammer and dissolving them with the Orb, she raged against the Fiend of Water. "Let's go, guys! Let's kill this jerk!" Shaking his head, Kraken scowled in anger.

"You boast, girl! Let's see you back those words up when I do _this!_" From one tentacle, there was a jet of blackness, darker even than the waters around them, and suddenly Mary's eyes were completely blackened, blinded totally. She faltered, and Kraken renewed his assault, slamming her nonstop once again without giving her time to respond. "Ha ha ha ha ha! _Now_ what?"

"Mary!" Drake bellowed, and her head turned to track his voice. "_Catch!_" Something struck her in the chest, and she grabbed it before Kraken could snatch it away. A metal gauntlet, too heavy for her. Instantly realizing what it was, Mary pulled it on regardless and clenched her will. With no casting time needed, the lightning raged forth, and this time Kraken recoiled in pain, unable to stop his instinctual reaction. In that moment, Mary began to cast healing spells; every time she felt a tentacle's lash interrupt her, she used the Zeus Gauntlet again, and every time Kraken fell back. Finally, she Lamped herself to clear the blinding ink from her eyes, and glared at Kraken again. And then, as she had seen Drake do a million times, she turned the glare into a mocking grin.

"Are we having fun yet?"

"That's the way!" The Ninja cheered her on. "Whaddaya think of _that,_ eh, squidface?"

"Shut up… just shut up…" Kraken seethed. "I'll kill you… I'll kill you _all!_"

"You and what army?" Luke snorted. "You might have been one all by yourself when we started this, but that ain't true no more." More than half of Kraken's seemingly infinite limbs had been reduced to stumps, gushing the glowing purple that filled him. "We're almost there, guys. Once we can reach his head, Mary can spike that Orb home, and we win. Let's keep it up!"

"Close, but no cigar!" Kraken howled. Jets of ink squirted at all of their faces, and at the same time, the tentacles stiffened and began to spin again. Once more, the Light Warriors were caught up in the whirling storm, and this time they were blinded, unable even to see what was happening, only feel the force of the water raging against them. "Come on, then! Break free of _this_, if you can!"

"All right, if you insist." Mary rattled off one Lamp spell after another, without hesitation or pause in the slightest despite the pain. "No problem at all." Immediately, she followed the spells with more; a thick white fog, impossible to see through, that spread out to cover them all. And then, as if that wasn't enough, all four Light Warriors shimmered and vanished, becoming invisible. "There. Now _you_ can't see _us._"

"The higher level Fog and Invis skills. Well, I already knew you were talented." Kraken grudgingly conceded, continuing to whirl around madly. "Unfortunately for you, that doesn't mean a thing! I don't need to see you, as long as you can't escape this attack!"

"And if I can?" Mary replied easily, as Kraken felt her body leave his grasp, the Exit spell used for combat once more. "Now I'm free, and you can't see me. You'd better watch out."

"You mean to fight me by yourself, while your friends remain trapped in my storm?" Kraken laughed. "Brave, but stupid! You're no warrior, little girl!"

"You forgot. I'm a Light Warrior, the best there is." Mary corrected as she swam around, unseen. "You're not too bright after all, I think. You may have been right about my lack of a true killing instinct, but that hardly means everything. What I lack in that area, I make up for in others. Focus. Control. Tactics. If you need evidence of that, just look around you. You have no idea when and where I'll strike. And not with my hammer. With the Orb of Water, that will kill you. You'll die, Kraken. And I think you're afraid of that." As she taunted him, Kraken grew visibly more and more enraged.

"Stop it. Silence. Be quiet. _Shut up!_"

"I thought you liked talking a lot?" Mary mocked him. "Or is it that you just don't like people talking back to you?"

"You're cocky…" Kraken growled, then crowed triumphantly as he pulled his tentacles free from the others, halted his spinning and brought them all up, to strike above his head. "And that will cost you! Fool, I see right through your tricks! I knew the whole time you'd come for my head with that Orb!"

"Kraken." Despite the pain as all the tentacles lashed into her, Mary smiled. "In your own words, _gotcha_."

"What?" Kraken stared, then screamed, as two swords and a storm of lightning ripped into his now-unprotected underside. Freed of the tentacles, Luke, Drake and Vlad had finally struck at the Fiend's main body, tearing away at it. Howling, Kraken struck down at them, then froze. "Oh, _no!_"

"Oh, yes." The moment she had been freed, Mary had charged again, and she now swam right before the horrified face of the Fiend of Water. Her hammer was thrown first like a meteor, smashing through the Fiend of Water's teeth and clearing the way for the Orb of Water as she hurled it into his exposed maw. As energy surged around him, Kraken pulled away and attempted to spin once more, but his limbs faltered and withered away, purple energy changing to a brilliant indigo. Only the Fiend's main body remained, floating there like a blackened blob, charred by the light now shining from within him.

"How could you… defeat me?" He croaked. "You had nothing… just a desire to help. That was all… how could such a thing be so powerful? How could all of you…" He shook. "It's inconceivable. But… it's still not over. Tiamat still remains. And with her, soon will come…" Before he could finish, Kraken's voice was cut off by a spasm of choking. "Arrgh… this is it, then. But I will return. We will always return. We are the Fiends… we are… the bane… of… all…" Voice trailing off, Kraken melted into nothingness, revealing the Orb of Water, shining from within with indigo light. Mary swam up and took it, then looked back at the Sea Shrine.

"Guess we should return this."

"I should certainly hope so." Drake joked, swimming up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. You okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled at him. "You were right all along."

"Well, I'm not the type to say I-told-you-so." The elf smiled. "At least not to my girlfriend. So let's just call it a job well done and let it drop, eh?"

"All right." Mary nodded. Leading the way back into the Sea Shrine, she place the Orb of Water onto its altar. "The Fiend of Water is gone. Let the Water be cured." As the others had, the Orb's light changed to blinding light, covering them all. And then, with an earth-shaking rush and a fantastic noise, they all felt the floor beneath them rise, and saw the water through the gap in the wall rush by.

"It's coming back up!" Vlad realized. "The Sea Shrine is going back to the surface!" And then, in a blast of water that must have reached for miles into the air, the building broke the surface and came to a halt, floating upon the ocean like a leaf as it had so long ago. The sun was shining down upon the water beautifully as the Merfolk cast themselves from windows above, joyously diving down into the seas in freedom and thanking the heroes who had might it possible.

"You know, days like this make me think this job doesn't suck so much after all." Drake decided. "Where's the Element of Water, anyways?"

"Down here, young man." A deep bass voice beckoned from the hole in the Sea Shrine, and they all walked over to gaze down into the ocean, where the form that the statues in the chamber reflected waited for them. A strong blue fishtail lashed at the waves below a hulking, muscular male torso covered in gold and jewels. Above that, a wild, tangled white beard covered his face, but didn't conceal the laughing, kindly eyes. "Thank you, miss Mary. It's good to be back."

"It's good to have you back, sir." Mary smiled, and the Element laughed.

"Sir? Just call me Water, friends. I don't need any honorifics. I'm here to help mortals, not rule them. We all are. Though Kraken certainly did a wonderful job of screwing that up. Still, you showed him a thing or two, eh?" He laughed again. "That's three of 'em down now. Good work! All that's left is Tiamat, although she won't be easy."

"Neither were the others, but we won all the same." Luke grinned. "Tiamat's toast when we catch up to her."

"That's the spirit!" Water boomed approvingly. "Well, I won't keep you, then. Relax, you've earned it, but don't be too quick to rush off; there's still something in Onrac you'll need. Oh, here!" He raised his hand and summoned the Lefeinish translation slab. "Your ride'll be showing up in a moment; he can help you haul this back to the city and onto the airship. You'll need it too. Call me any time, Mary. I'll be watching, aye, and laughing at Tiamat when you kick her arse too!" Diving, he disappeared into the water. A few moments later, something else broke the surface; the top of the submarine.

"Whaaaarg!" Bikke bellowed as he opened the hatch. "Steve, I outta keelhaul you on the _Icarus_ for that one!"

"What happened?" Drake inquired.

"Idiot loaded the stink bomb backwards." Bikke shook his head in disgust. "At least we didn't try that one until near the end. Saw you brawlin' with the big guy, but figured we'd best not interfere with ya. Looks like ya won. 'Bout time he got what was comin' to him."

"Oh, he got that all right." Mary agreed. "That and more."

"Good! Now, are we headin' back to Onrac?" Bikke suddenly saw the Slab and groaned. "Aw no. Don't tell me. Souvenir?"

"Afraid so." Luke nodded. "Let's haul it in."

"And to think, I figured bein' a pirate'd let me avoid heavy labor." Bikke hung his head mournfully. "Ah well, sooner we get back sooner we can have a mug or ten to celebrate. Let's go, lads."


	14. Chapter 13: Don't Live Like A Refugee

_**Chapter 13: You Don't Have To Live Like A Refugee**_

From below, the sky looked blue to the denizens of the world. When it was visible through the thick clouds that often covered the horizons, at any rate. More and more, they hid the sky, thanks to the jealous efforts of the Fiend of Air. But on some days, the bright blue sky could be seen clearly and beautifully. Unless one actually flew into it. Then, as one flew further and further, they would see the blue slowly give way, replaced by an eternal, never-ending darkness that was only illuminated by far-away stars. It was in this pitch-black height that the Sky Palace hovered, the temple to the sky built by the people of Lefein. A gift for which Tiamat, Fiend of Air, had thanked them for upon her rising with her personal attention. Now, the Fiend brooded upon one of the many marvels in the Palace; a window, with which one could see the entire world below laid out before them. And more; the window allowed the viewer to see the currents of magic that the world relied on to keep itself intact revealed clearly to the eye. And so, Tiamat saw as the massive surge of power in the Sea Shrine dimmed, faded, and finally died, only to return in a much brighter form.

"So much for Kraken." The Fiend of Air informed her only companion dismissively. "I was afraid that would happen. He probably tried some last-minute psychological warfare on the girl, knowing him. Too little, too late." Her companion was silent, making no comment, and after an uneasy moment Tiamat continued. "Well, he's dead now, and that's that. I'll be next, although I don't intend to make it easy. And if I fail…" She shrugged.

"Kraken." The other present spoke at last. "Power?"

"You mean the portion he allocated to the Black Orb?" Tiamat guessed. "It's still pouring in. Like the other two, Water doesn't have enough of a grip yet to realize where the power he's missing is going, or even that he's missing some at all." She frowned. "If I'm slain, though, doubtless it will be made clear then. It will have to be completed before that happens." Looking back to the window, she smiled at the intense beam of magical energy, a sickly green color, pouring out from the altar above her and streaming steadily down towards the earth, crossing countries and oceans before finally ending in the Temple of Fiends. Three other identical beams were similarly flowing in from the other three Altars, although their colors were mixed; decaying orange and solid brown, insane blue and warm red, gross purple and soothing indigo. Glaring up at her own stream, Tiamat scowled; for a moment, she had seen just a flash of yellow. Shaking her head, she turned away again. "It's near completion, at any rate. Just a few weeks more, a month or so, and then…"

"Stall." The other being suggested.

"I wish I could." Tiamat hissed. "The ideal situation would give them no choice but to storm the Sky Palace directly in their airship. With the forces at my command, I could have kept them busy for long enough, no question about it. But with that damned robot escapee, there is a possibility for an alternative. If the Light Warriors find him before my minions do…" Looking up at the ceiling, she screamed. "_Shiva!_ To me!" After a few moments, the sounds of light, careful steps echoed down the halls as a dragon approached. Almost as huge as Bahamut, but much more slimly built, the sapphire-scaled beast flapped her wings to calm herself before speaking.

"You require something of me, my queen?"

"Ah, I never get tired of hearing you say that." Tiamat purred, mood suddenly improved. "So pleasing, to see you brought so low; you, who were once so prideful. What was it you told me, before we fought? Ah, yes. 'There is only one queen of the dragons, and it is me, you wretch.' How you sneered. And look at you now." Reaching out, she traced the side of Shiva's head with one claw. "Bowing to me. I am the dragon queen now, Shiva. And you? My personal slave."

"Yes, my queen." The blue dragon agreed without a moment's hesitation. "Always."

"Good girl." Tiamat chuckled. "As to your question. Has there been word from the Gas Dragon unit I sent to Onrac?"

"Yes, my queen." Shiva answered. "Unfortunately, they reported failure so far. The robot has not yet been located."

"Damnation." Tiamat growled, good mood evaporating instantly. "Get out your copy of that prophecy, Shiva, and scour it for any mention at all of that robot. I've looked it over so many times my eyes start to bleed if I even glance at it, so I'll leave it to you while I keep an eye on them from here."

"As you command, my queen." Shiva bowed, then departed.

"Boring." The observer offered his opinion after a moment.

"You think so?" Tiamat glanced at him sidelong. "You prefer them with a bit more spirit, I assume? Leave them just enough to know what's happened to them, and struggle eternally to return without any actual hope at all, no matter how much they delude themselves?"

Her companion said nothing to that, but grinned silently.

"I thought so." The Fiend of Air nodded. "That has its perks, I will agree; but there's also a distinct charm to breaking them so completely, that you can't even find a trace of what was there before, no matter how hard you look. Especially with the ones that have angered you severely. Such as that silly queen there. At least Bahamut can back up _his_ pride."

"Bahamut." The other echoed. After a moment, he added, "Interfere?"

"With his queen here? Not likely." Tiamat laughed. "Just the thought of going claw to claw with her keeps him awake at night. He won't dare provoke that possibility." Looking back at her companion, Tiamat raised an eyebrow. "Is it still that difficult to talk? You seem only able to manage a few words at a time."

"Hurts." The one addressed replied after a moment's thought. "Better."

"Getting better? Good. Well, it's not surprising this hurts." Tiamat shook her head. "We've never had to do this before, after all. It's been sufficient just to wait for you to select the next Chaos Knight. This time, though; I don't like that prophecy business at all. We've never been killed before, and who can tell if they don't plan something further after? I'm sorry this hurts so much, but we needed you. There was no other way, Garland. Calling you back was all I could think of."

"Yes." The withered, dead, decaying body of Garland, the Chaos Knight, answered from the wall, where he was slumped, motionless. "Back." After a moment, his rotted features pulled into another grin. "_Better_."

----------------------------

"Explain this to me again." Vlad grumbled as a carnivorous fish hit him in the face. Growling, he stabbed it repeatedly. "Ugh. So, we've finished with Kraken. Onrac is restored. By all logic, right now we should already be moving on the final Fiend's location. Tiamat, in the northeast. And yet, we remain here in Onrac. Specifically, spending all day rowing our canoe up the Onrac River, towards a massive waterfall." He paused for effect before finishing. "And this is _why_?"

"Because we suspect something happened at the Sky Palace." Drake replied easily, stunning a fish with his oar and frying it with a low-level Lightning spell. "Haha, I love doing that. Uh, as I was saying, when we were in Gaia me and Mary saw something fall out of the Sky Palace. Or at least the area of the Sky Palace. And maybe fall isn't the right word."

"It was more like launching than falling." Mary picked up the thread. "It was headed towards Onrac, and it looked like it was going to make it. Then when we were in the bar after the fight with Kraken, Mrs. Delphine's friend Kope said on that night _he_ had seen something in the sky falling towards the waterfall."

"Ah, yes. Kope." Vlad remembered. "He would be the one who, shortly after telling us that, downed twenty mugs in twenty minutes."

"I called up Water, too." His sister continued, ignoring that. "He said that some of Tiamat's forces were searching the area, and that there was a cavern behind this waterfall. And by forces, he specified dragons."

"Oh." Vlad blinked. "You didn't mention that part before."

"I didn't?" Mary said innocently. "I'm sorry, I must have forgotten."

"Hey, if you can point that out, that means you remembered why we were here the entire time!" Drake growled, mock-angrily. "What's the deal, huh?"

"I… you…" Vlad glared at them both, attempted to pull his hat down over his face, remembered he was no longer wearing it and settled for slumping down in the back of the canoe. "Bah."

"Enough. Lay offa him." Luke told them. "Let's just get this baby upstream as fast as we can, eh? Shame there's too many trees around the area for the airship to get closer, but them's the breaks."

Unlike the harsh desert or the threatening coastline (although the latter had improved dramatically with Kraken's demise), this portion of Onrac was actually pleasant. The trees were thick and lush on either side of the great river, everything around them teeming with life as the forest animals went about their business in a land that was safe once more. The higher riverbanks to either side showed that the water level had been much higher here as well a few days ago; this proved troublesome when it came time to rest for the night, as the Light Warriors were unable to climb up the steep slopes onto dry land. They would have been forced to sleep in the canoe had Mary not discovered that their enchanted one-night houses were further enchanted to float on water. That and the monsters were the only downsides of the current situation. With the sun shining overhead and the pleasant atmosphere, even Vlad found it hard to keep a bad mood going.

"Good thing we didn't try this before wiping out Kraken." Luke commented as they neared the waterfall. "This river must have been a hell of a lot meaner then. Probly downright impossible to paddle upstream against."

"Good thing the new guy's on our side then, eh?" Drake winked, then turned to stare once more at their destination looming up before them. "I still can't get over how big that thing is." Stretching a solid mile straight up, the cliffs of Onrac were an unsurpassable barrier that stretched across the entire length of the land from east to west. According to geographers, above and beyond them was only Lake Onrac, the largest freshwater deposit in the world, along with the beginnings of the far north's massive glacial icelands. This had turned out to be true when they took the airship up to look before beginning the actual trip. What concerned them, though, was the connection between Lake Onrac and the Onrac River; the massive waterfall that poured a mile down before crashing into the land below.

"Taking the canoe through that's not gonna be fun." Luke pronounced glumly.

"There'll be edges we can sneak around." Drake grinned at him, then slowly dropped it. "If we could get onto the ground again, anyways. Which we can't. Looks like we're getting wet."

"Hold on, let me try something." Mary held the Orb of Water, and after a moment, the Element's face appeared in the river before them. "Hi. We're heading through there… is there anything you can do about that waterfall?"

"Of course, missie. Just try to make it quick, hm?" Water winked, then turned to stare at the falls. The rush of water slowed, dribbled, and stopped, revealing the hole in the caverns beneath that stretched back into the darkness. "Right, call me again when you're ready to head back out."

"Got it." Mary nodded. "Let's go, fellas." The Light Warriors walked through the cavern mouth, then jumped as they heard the _thump_ of hundreds of gallons of water striking the river again behind them.

"By the way, Tiamat's forces are in here searching." Water's voice continued behind them. "I'd get moving, if I was you."

"Good advice." Luke drew his sword. Behind him, Drake did the same, Mary pulled out her modified lamp spell, and Vlad stretched out his hands. "Let's get to it, then."

Compared to the many horrible caverns they had been through previously, the tunnels behind the Waterfall were actually rather pleasant atmospherically. No slime, no heat or cold, no strange glows; only condensation dripping here and there, and of course the monsters. The advance forces were mummies, some with magic and some without. It didn't really matter; with all four Light Warriors now capable of casting numerous medium-level Fire and Harm spells, they simply launched one massive wave of destruction that wiped out anything undead between them and the wall at the other end of the passageway. Nightmares and Mud Golems were present as well, like the ones from the Castle of Ordeals; for them, hand-to-hand combat sufficed almost as easily. The true enemy was the cavern itself; though it was almost pleasant at first glance, it turned out to be a winding labyrinth with many, many turns and forks. Even with Mary drawing a map as they went, it was slow going, and many times they found themselves in dead ends. Mostly this was merely discouraging, but on the fourth time, they finally discovered a serious problem. A dragon, lean and green, with a mane and trailing whiskers.

"So, the Light Warriors have come as well." It hissed. "Then I must delay you to give my brethren time to find our prey!" Widening its maw, the dragon breathed a cloud of gas the same color as its scales.

"Bane?" Drake asked sharply.

"No, that's blue. This is something else." Vlad answered grimly, then swore. "Damn, look at the floor!" Where the cloud had touched the stone, it was melting to slime. "Don't let it touch you! At all! I'll handle this!" The other three backed up eagerly, as Vlad began casting.

"Ha!" The Gas Dragon sneered, opening its maw again to belch out another cloud of acidic gas. "What do you think you can do against-"

The noise as Vlad's fireball ignited the gas was truly colossal.

"Well." Drake winced, taking his hands off of his ears and looking around at all the smoke and char marks. "That seems to have done the trick." Where the Gas Dragon had stood there was simply a larger, more disgustingly colored mark. "But where's Vlad?"

"Back here." The Black Wizard croaked from his position embedded in the wall behind them. "Maybe you should stand in front of me next time, Luke."

"Gee, thanks." The Knight pulled him down. "Just kidding. I know, I can take hits a lot better, even ones like that. Let's do it that way next time, huh?"

"You'd think you'd have learned your lesson after the pufferfish." Shaking her head in resignation, Mary healed her brother. "More importantly, that guy said they had to 'find their prey.' Sounds like whatever they're looking for here is alive."

"We'd better get moving, then." Luke reasoned, and they pressed on. Several more Gas Dragons were found, but were dealt with just as spectacularly, and in the end they discovered a steel door in the back of the cavern. It didn't budge when they tried to open it.

"Hey! Anybody in there?" Drake knocked on the door. "It's okay, we're not Tiamat's! We're the Light Warriors!" As soon as he had said that, the door creaked open.

"Truly?" The being inside asked fervently. It was man-shaped, but that was all it had in common with humans; made of metal, it was constructed from separate pieces all stuck together to form the final result. A single eye glowed green as it stared at them. "Come inside, please!"

"A robot." Vlad whispered. "Lefeinish technology. So you really are from the Sky Palace."

"Yes." The robot agreed, bowing over and remaining that way; it seemed its natural stance was hunched down, arms dangling. "There are many of us there. Most of us are completely reprogrammed to serve Tiamat without question, but a few of us hide our remaining will. When we heard that you had killed two of the Fiends, we knew one of us would have to escape, to bring you something you would need. I was elected."

"Bring us something?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. The key to the teleporter in the Mirage Tower." The robot held out a strange-looking mechanical cube. "This cube is the activation device. If you wish to assault the Sky Palace from the Mirage Tower, you will need a chime to enter, and a cube to teleport to the Sky Palace from the top."

"You don't say. Well thanks, then! We woulda been out of luck without you." Drake started to take the cube, then blinked. "Wait, what was that about a chime?"

"Er…" The robot blinked. "A chime of Lefein is necessary to enter the Mirage Tower. If you do not have one, you may find it at the refuge where the Lefeinish descendants hide from Tiamat."

"And do you know where this refuge is?" Mary pressed.

"Yes."

"Well, looks like we're going to Lefein." Luke shrugged. "We've gotta go through that Tower if we want to follow Bahamut's game plan."

"And we can learn Lefeinish off that slab from the Sea Shrine." Drake snapped his fingers. "That prophecy knew this would happen." He turned back to the robot. "Looks like you're coming along with us, then. We can't leave you here."

"Thank you." The robot said, the smile evident in its voice even if its face was frozen. "Here, I was able to take these with me as well." Turning around, it came back with two things. In its left hand, a scrap of ribbon like the one from the Sea Shrine dangled. In its right hand was an extremely broad-bladed sword.

"Hmm." Luke hefted the latter. "I like it. I'll take this, thanks. Is that ribbon…"

"Enchanted like the other, yes." Mary took it from the robot's hand. "Thank you, sir robot. Let's leave, then. We have quite a few trips ahead of us."

----------------------------

"Take care of yourself now, Bikke." Delphine and her two daughters waved to the heroes and pirates as the _Icarus_ started up. "Don't do anything that'll get you killed now, after making it this long."

"Don't let 'em catch me, got it." Bikke winked at her. "Don'tcha worry, there's only one of 'em left now, and we got help for that. Right, Intyre?" He glanced over his shoulder at the green-scaled dragon, who was crouched on the ship's prow like a gargoyle."

"Right, Bikke." Intyre waved a claw lazily. "Just remember to drop me off at Cardia before you head to Melmond so I can join up with the others. It's been a while since I've been back. I'm sure Bahamut already felt Kraken's death, but it's best to be on the safe side, and it'll take us a few days to get ready anyways."

"See? We got a whole army o' dragons, and fer once I'll be runnin' _with_ the army 'stead of _away_." Bikke announced proudly. "We'll be fine, 'specially with the _Icarus_ here. Just take care o' yerself, and we'll be back soon, aye?" He turned away from the rail as the airship blasted off. "Right then, first to Cardia to drop off Intyre here. Next, Melmond so you lot can learn Lefeinish. Leave me outta that one, by the way; I ain't too good at _our_ language, let alone another. Then it's that one last outpost of Lefein you found out about from that robot, and after that, time to knock down Tiamat's door."

"Hey, laddie, dontcha ferget about me." Senna, the fairy from Gaia, was perched on Intyre's head. "These boyos promised to drop me off at home."

"Oh yeah." Bikke nodded. "Well, Gaia's in the same area as Lefein anyways, so we can do that no sweat. Speakin' o' that robot, by the way…" He glanced over at said robot, who was standing quietly in the center of the deck. "What's the deal, matey?"

"Well, we couldn't just leave him there for Tiamat's guys to find and trash." Drake reasoned. "Plus, we need him to find the Lefein guys once we know the lingo." The robot saluted.

"Captain Bikke, I am here to serve. Direct me to any tasks and I shall endeavor to complete them."

"Hmm…" Bikke looked him over. "How are ye at piratin', do ya think?"

"What?" Mary choked. "You don't mean…"

"Pirating." The robot's eye blinked. "Robbing and/or committing illegal violence at sea and/or plundering the land from such without commission from authority."

"Pretty much." Mr. Smite shrugged. "Though we're in the air now instead of the sea."

"Ah. Definition updated." The robot noted. "I have no previous experience at such, but am willing to learn."

"Works fer me!" Bikke laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "Welcome to Bikke's pirate crew, uh… say, what's yer name?"

"Name?" The robot's eye dimmed, then widened again. "Ah, my serial number! It is SID-OH-23508250563."

"…Uh." Bikke stared, as did everybody else.

"Right." Drake shook his head, recovering first. "Sid it is, then." That seemed to bring everybody else out of it as well.

"Sid, eh. Yah, that works. Well, welcome aboard, Sid." Bikke nodded. "Free advice, don't go fer the eyepatch option."

"A robot pirate." Vlad shook his head. "What have we done?"

"All in the name of a greater good, buddy." Luke reassured him. "Onwards we go."

Although the trip to Melmond itself was only a few days, the Light Warriors were detained there longer for the process of learning to speak Lefeinish. Bikke's friend in town, Dr. Unne, was jubilant upon seeing the slab and all too happy to teach it to them, but the actual process of doing so was trying, especially with Luke. In the end, after two weeks of intense study, they departed Melmond with the other three Warriors still drilling their leader on the complicated language, which consisted of no more than two hundred and forty two-letter words, and placed much emphasis on pronunciation and tone to convey different meanings. Another week took the airship to the northeastern lands, and after a side trip to Gaia to drop off Senna, they flew south and further east, to a peninsula of wilderness beyond the Yahnikurm Desert.

"The barrier of mountains beyond the desert mark the edge of Tiamat's direct control." Sid, as the robot was now called, explained. "At least, they did when she first rose. Her control is probably lessened now."

"We still made the right choice skirting around that desert." Luke looked behind them with a frown. "Got jumped plenty of times as it was. Tiamat's edgy; she knows we'll be coming for her soon."

"Got some bad news for ya, though." Bikke frowned, looking over the peninsula ahead of them. "We can go all the way down to make sure, but from here it looks like the entire damn thing's too forested fer me to land the _Icarus_ here. Seems we'll have to put 'er down at the edge o' these mountains and ye'll have to walk."

"The peninsula is extremely wild." Sid confirmed. "I apologize; I should have informed you. Indeed, the airship will be unable to land, and the Lefeinish survivors would probably assume you to be Tiamat's if you attempted to land the airship in the town itself. This would almost certainly provoke attack."

"We walk, then." Luke shrugged. "Not like we've become allergic to it or anything. It'll take a while, but there's no helping it."

"Right." Bikke nodded. "If'n ye don't mind, we'll head back to Cardia after droppin' ya off, then. If we're gonna be flyin' this baby with the dragons 'gainst Tiamat, Big B's probly gonna want to tell us what to do. Have one o' yer Element buddies call us up when yer in the town. Once ye actually explain it to 'em, we'll be able to land and pick ye up there without ye needin' to hike all the way back here."

"Sounds good." Drake nodded. "Might as well get going, then."

----------------------------

The lost nation of Lefein had, centuries ago, been located in the far east of the northern continent. Technologically advanced far beyond any other land, they hoarded their secrets in solitude and lived their lives isolated from the rest of the world. Worshipping the sky, their cities towered high above the world, atop the ring of mountains that surrounded their vast country. The only population center built on the plains below was the capital at the center, with the royal palace named the Mirage Tower that led up to the true palace of the Lefeinish. The Sky Palace, the heart of the air… and, in the end, of Tiamat as well. Her coming had completely destroyed Lefein, transforming the plains into the Yahnikurm Desert and sweeping the cities from the mountains. The few survivors had been reported as fleeing to the southeast, onto a wild peninsula beyond Tiamat's reach, but due to the ferocity of the monsters, the rumors had never been confirmed. At least, until the day when four travelers strode from the forest, each bearing an Orb, and looked upon the last remnants of Lefein.

"How the hell do buildings get that tall?" Drake wondered, staring up and up, and further up. "Those can't be real." The structures he described were indeed built high beyond human imagination; a solid row of square towers at the back of the city that stretched into the sky for miles. They were the only actual buildings there; the rest of the space within the city walls was devoted to pleasant atmosphere, grandly decorated bridges and rivers that carved a pretty path around each other, with parks and statues everywhere. Men and women with brightly colored hair of every shade on the rainbow strolled through in simple togas, conversing in the odd, stilted speech of their race. To all observation, it was a place of beauty, but on the central building, a colossal mural bore eternal remembrance of the truth, naming the city Re Lu Ka So; _Place of Hiding._

"They could have come to the outside world." Mary shook her head, speaking unconsciously in the tongue she had spent weeks learning. "Other countries would have taken them in, helped them. Why didn't they try?"

"It was not our way, young lady." An elderly man with white hair so bright it reflected the sun's light explained as he walked towards them. "In our times of peace, we held ourselves apart from the rest of the world, and kept our secrets to ourselves. After doing so, it would not have been right for us to seek their aid, when we gave them none. We chose our way, and even now, we live with it."

"You don't seem surprised to see us." Drake raised an eyebrow. "I take it you know who we are, then."

"Sage Lashee told us what she knew before she left us to join the others, including that you would come one day." The old man nodded. "I am Halcyon, and I welcome you to Lefein."

"Then you likely know why we have come as well." Vlad guessed. "We are here so that we may seek the means to strike down she who was your people's downfall. Of the four Orbs, only one remains unlit. Tiamat, the Fiend of Air." He nodded at the others, and all four Warriors took out their Orbs to show the elder. "Lich, Kary and Kraken have all fallen at our hands. She is all that remains."

"But she is a mighty foe." Halcyon warned. "And yet, you may be able to slay her. We shall do all we can to aid you. Here, let us go to a more suitable place to continue our talk."

Leading them through the city, Halcyon brought the Light Warriors to the base of the mass of buildings, and into a box that seemed to move upwards of its own power. When they stepped out, they were in a comfortable study, with a window that showed them to be at the building's top, miles above the ground. To the north, they could see the mountains far away. And beyond them, barely visible, a speck in the sky that never moved, but remained eternally hovering.

"The Sky Palace." Halcyon confirmed their thoughts. "It is there that Tiamat reigns, above what was once the heart of our people. In our pride, we ignored the Element of Air's warnings that her time was approaching, and thus doomed ourselves to her opposite. Only now, so many years later, can this be overturned."

"That's what we're going for." Drake confirmed. "With our allies. The plan is for the dragonkin of Cardia and the men who fly the last airship for us to assault the Sky Castle while we climb up from the Mirage Tower. If they can hold the greatest mass of Tiamat's armies, we'll be able to break through to the nasty lady herself."

"The dragonkin… they have suffered from Tiamat as well. They will be strong allies." Halcyon smiled. "And the _Icarus_ as well. It gladdens me to know that the ship of our Sky Warriors will return to do battle with Tiamat once more. If you plan to enter the Mirage Tower, you will need one of our Chimes to enter. We shall give one to you, of course. Then, once you enter the tower, you will need a key to the teleporter on the top in order to access the Sky Palace. Any of Tiamat's high-ranking minions in the Tower should have one."

"We have one already, actually." Mary smiled, showing him the Cube. "One of the robots escaped from the Sky Palace for that purpose. Some of them still maintain their old programming, it seems. He's joined the men on the _Icarus_, if you'd like to meet him."

"Indeed I would." Halcyon nodded in awe. "Robots who still remember us; we never suspected that. And to serve on the _Icarus_…" He shook his head. "A shame we would have had no way to tell your airship from one of Tiamat's, or you could have brought it here."

"Actually, we can contact them now and have them bring it here to pick us up." Drake suggested. "You can meet Sid-he's the robot-and the other guys then. Would that work?"

"That would be wonderful." Halcyon clapped his hands together. "For now, though, you must be tired from your journey. Rooms have been prepared for you. Tomorrow, if it pleases you, I will tell you of the creatures that serve Tiamat so that you may be better prepared to fight them."

"That would be useful." Vlad nodded. "Very well."

"So it shall be." Halcyon nodded back as several servants entered the room. "Before you go, one more thing." He glanced at Luke. "If it is not impolite, you have not spoken at all here, young man. Is there a reason?"

"I…" Luke sighed. "Bad at… your talk."

"He's not good with the language." Drake translated, and Halcyon winced.

"Ah, yes. That accent is-well, never mind. None of us can be perfect at everything. I will see you tomorrow, then."

----------------------------

The night sky over Lefein was truly a wondrous thing when seen from the top of the towers of incredible height. Such a position was occupied by Luke on the eve of his arrival, sitting in a padded chair with a mug of ale as he gazed upon the stars that looked as far away as ever despite his knowledge that he was closer to the sky than he had been before in all his days, even on the airship. With nothing aside from the wind and his own thoughts, Luke had little track of time, but eventually, footsteps behind him signified the presence of another.

"Hey, man." Drake greeted his friend, taking a seat next to him. The elf was loosely dressed, absent his ninja garb and armor, and bore a mug similar to Luke's own. "Having trouble sleeping?"

"A bit." Luke admitted, swishing the ale around in his mug. "Just came up here to do some thinking. And before you make a wisecrack, yes, I do know how to do that."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Drake winked, then sighed. "Well, I'm a bit too awake yet still, and Mary won't share a room with me yet, so there are worse ways to kill an hour or two."

"You're lucky she puts up with you at all." Luke gave him a look, which the ninja returned just as strongly.

"Come on, man." Drake prodded him. "You can't tell me you've never tried to score with Sara, even once?"

"Well…" Luke lowered his head. "All right then, you're lucky _she_ doesn't react with violence to that sort of suggestion. That better?"

"Yeah, that sounds more accurate." Drake agreed. "Wants to wait until after the wedding, I'm guessing?"

"It's a princess thing." Luke shrugged. "One of the ones even she considers important, I guess. Idunno."

"And you were telling Drake he was lucky to have a girlfriend who puts up with him?" A third, female voice asked wryly as Mary joined them. "I feel sorry for Sara, although at least she's got to have experience in dealing with you."

"Oy." Luke looked irritated. "Warn us before you walk in on our conversations, will you? That one could have turned into something we wouldn't want you to hear."

"Really?" Mary smiled serenely, and Drake winced, slapping his forehead.

"Luke?" The elf groaned. "Don't say things like that. Please. For both of our sakes."

"Sorry, didn't really think that one through." Luke admitted sheepishly. "No luck sleeping either, eh, Mary? Well, at least Vlad should be sleeping soundly. Some guys have all the luck."

"Man, what did I just tell you?" Drake slapped his face again.

"For once, the idiot has a point." Vlad's voice echoed out of the darkness as he walked forward. "Although as you've probably deduced, you weren't even correct. Fire is busy working on something and I was restless. It seems we all are tonight. I wonder why."

"Could it be the magic field?" Mary suggested. "It's extremely powerful around this city. Understandably so, after everything they've been through."

"Is Lefeinish magic that good?" Drake raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I know it's way beyond anything me or Luke could ever do, but compared to you two?"

"It's the best." Vlad confirmed. "Just like their technology. They even have a couple of spells we can't master yet. A shame; they would have helped against Tiamat. Ah well, there's nothing for it; we shall have to continue to the end of our journey without them."

"The end of our journey." Luke repeated. "Hard to believe it's here upon us. How long has it been? A year?"

"Nearly." Mary agreed. "Almost a year, twelve countries, countless monsters, the seas and the skies."

"Ruined castles, blazing volcanoes and sunken temples." Vlad continued his sister's line of speech. "Caverns of slime and ice and earth."

"A mad king, and a false fiend." Drake picked it up. "Pirates and wizards, and a Chaos Knight. Dragons of fire and ice and gas and death." He paused. "And some weird eye-thing."

"Fiends of Earth, Fire and Water." Luke finished, deliberately ignoring Drake's last comment. "And only Air remains, until our task is complete. The last and oldest of the Fiends. The most powerful, wise and evil of them all. Tiamat, the Fiend of Air. She's waiting for us." The knight frowned. "And yet…"

"And yet, you feel like there's something else?" Drake guessed. "I know what you mean. I've been feeling it too. I'm guessing we all have."

"Indeed." Mary nodded. "I haven't been able to find a source of it, but I feel like there's something important I'm forgetting. Something aside from Tiamat."

"I've asked Fire, but she's unable to tell." Vlad shook his head. "She says there's some sort of influence on us, all right, but she can't figure out what it is, or break it. She's still too half-asleep, and so are her brothers. At a guess, however; she also can't remember why the prophecy was created in the first place. Perhaps that might be connected."

"The prophecy?" Drake blinked. "Wasn't that made so that we'd kill the Fiends?"

"No, it can't be just that." Mary disagreed. "It's not like we're the only way to rid the world of them. In time, they would have turned back to the Elements, just like they did every time before. All we did was speed up the process."

"Yeah, there's gotta be more to it than that." Luke scowled. "But we've still got no clue as to what exactly it is. Damn."

"Think it'll become clear after we take down Tiamat?" Drake suggested.

"Hope so." Luke shrugged. "Oh well, nothing we can do about it now. Let's just be careful, and not throw down our swords the moment she bites it."

"That much, we can do." Vlad agreed. "That, and to go against her with everything we've got."

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "Yeah, we'll do that. Maybe it will be the last hurrah, maybe not. But either way, let's make it one for the record books. Can't let Bikke, Bahamut and the rest of those guys have all the fun, after all. They might be taking on the majority of the armies, but Tiamat herself is all ours." He stood up suddenly, glaring out to the north at the far-distant Sky Palace. "Hear that, Tiamat? Get ready. We're coming for you." As he said that, it seemed that the wind picked up just a bit, howling angrily around them. Despite that, all four Light Warriors stayed resolute, staring defiantly at the enemy. And then as one, they turned their backs and left the rooftop, walking back into the Lefeinish monolith to their rests.


	15. Chapter 14: Can You Take Me High Enough

_**Chapter 14: Can You Take Me High Enough**_

"These are all that are left, then?" Garland, the Chaos Knight, said as he looked upon the monsters arranged before him, on the roof of the Sky Palace, the highest place in the world where one could stand on solidity. "Of all the monsters who have served you, only these answered the call?" The corrupted dragons made up the largest bulk of those assembled, at the fore of the host, with their fallen queen Shiva at the head of them all. Behind the dragons, the rest were arranged in order of status. Golems of rock or mud, and reprogrammed robots of the Lefeinish, equally mindless servants. Vampires, both the original breed and a more powerful wizard type, produced from the Fiend's biological labs along with the animated Ooze grown from samples taken in the Marsh Cave. Air elementals, tied to Tiamat's power, semi-living extensions of it. The Naga, Dark Elves and even humans who had sought her Blessing, standing at attention in straight lines. These made up the front lines, before the wild monsters who had been called in by her presence, who themselves stood before the back line, where the pitiful remnants of the forces that had belonged to the other three Fiends lurked miserably. Most had died or fled from those quarters, but some few had heeded Tiamat's summons. Now, they stood with the others, awaiting the orders of the Fiend of Air and the Chaos Knight.

"Indeed." Tiamat nodded to her compatriot. "I can only hope they shall suffice. The enemy will be here soon, but I still cannot tell if they will come from above or below. As soon as I receive confirmation on either, I will deploy my forces accordingly."

"Very well." Garland nodded curtly. In the past weeks, he had recovered his strength drastically; now capable of walking and talking just as well as the next undead, he had retained his mind as well, with no trace of the senility that had marked him before his death. "Then I should be leaving now. I will need to be waiting outside the Temple, in case the moment comes. If you succeed, I will return, but if not…" He shrugged.

"As you say." The Fiend of Air agreed. "Is there anything else I can offer in the way of assistance?"

"Simply do your best to distract them." Garland instructed her. "They must remain unaware of my return until I am gone. That, along with what we discussed earlier, is all I need."

"Will you choose them now, then?" Tiamat inquired.

"Yes." Walking forward into the ranks, Garland approached the sentients who had been given Tiamat's blessing. "Naga, Dark Elves, and humans, eh." He stopped before one of the latter, who was garbed in grey and black armor like his comrades. "You. What is your name?"

"Sir Carlton of Crescent Lake, sir." The knight answered hollowly, tones deep and dead, without emotion.

"And why did you seek Lady Tiamat's blessing?" Garland continued.

"I was outcast by my master, the Sage Kalabak." Carlton explained. "He judged me for selling condemned prisoners to the Trolls of Crescent Lake, who offered them as sacrifice to Kary of Fire. When I asked them for help, they cast me away as well, telling me I was lucky not to become a sacrifice myself. In despair, I wandered the Yahnikurm Desert, until my lady found me."

"And if I told you that you could revenge yourself against Kalabak, and all the other Sages?" Garland smiled.

"Revenge." The Blessed man's eyes, which had been as dead as his voice until then, now shone with a terrible eagerness. "Command and instruct me, my lord."

"Follow me, then." Garland led him to the back, where he moved to the Sorcerers of Marsh. "You have had interesting careers, Wizards. All for the sake of revenge, against the Light Warriors who killed your leaders. First you offered yourself to Lich. When he died, you came to Kraken, who gave you his Blessing and made you into Sorcerers. And now you few who remain will even join Tiamat, fighting alongside the Dark Elves, all for some chance of slaying the Light Warriors." He looked at one of them. "You. Your name."

"Giygas." The Sorcerer hissed through the tentacles that covered his maw. "Of us who remain, I am the highest."

"And the angriest." Garland nodded. "You will join me and Carlton. In case even those assembled here fail, you will be part of the last, greatest effort to kill our foes."

"Thank you, master." Giygas joined Carlton, and the three of them moved to a large group of green-skinned women with snakes for hair.

"Medusae who received Lich's blessing." Garland looked them over. "Kept on the lowest level of the Earth Cave in rooms far away from your master, you were unable to reach the Light Warriors in time to fight them at all. A mistake on Lich's part, since you were the most powerful of his minions. Unlike the others who came from different Fiends, this is your first, and last, chance to fight the Light Warriors. You have waited far too long. But are there any among you who would forego that, and wait even longer, in order to join me in the final plan?" He looked at one in particular, who slowly raised her hand. "Good. Your name?"

"Myria." She answered.

"Good." Garland indicated the other two who followed him. "Join these, Myria. And now, for the last…" He frowned, looking at the fiery red hydras. "These are all from Kary?"

"It seems so." Tiamat admitted. "There were some Cerebri as well, but they panic when brought up here, so they're all down in the Mirage Tower. I apologize."

"No matter, I shall make do." Garland pointed out one hydra. "This one. Slightly more intelligent, and more vicious as well. Come here, you." Obediently, the hydra slithered forward. "You don't have a name, I take it?" The beast's heads all shook in negation. "Fine, I'll give you one. You're Smithy. Now join the others." The newly-named Smithy followed Garland back to Tiamat with Carlton, Giygas and Myria. "That's it, then. We'll be-" The Chaos Knight broke off, looking over the edge of the Sky Castle. "They're here."

"Entering the Mirage Tower." Tiamat hissed. "Very well, no helping it. I've got mostly mindless animals down there, with some vampires and robots to keep them in line. Now, though…" She looked at her second-in-command. "Shiva. Go down and wait for them at the peak of the Mirage Tower. Bar their way if at all possible."

"As you wish." Shiva saluted, then departed.

"You're keeping the rest up here?" Garland raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly." Tiamat grinned. "They'll think those in the Tower are the best I can do. Shiva will wear them down, and then they get the unpleasant surprise of meeting my _real_ forces up here."

"You do seem to have things well in hand." Garland noted. "I'm glad you're not begging me for help, as Kraken did to you."

"I have more pride than he did." Tiamat shook her heads. "If I needed your help, I would be weak. I will not fail you."

"I am pleased by this." The Chaos Knight slowly smiled. "Because of that, I will do what you did not ask. I'm going to help you, Tiamat." He glanced towards her Wizard Vampires. "Those should have sufficient skill. Have them perform a summoning ritual. The one that is called will not only increase your chances of victory, but his return to this existence will also distract the Elements even more."

"His return?" For once, Tiamat was caught off guard, all of her many eyes widening in shock. "You will allow me to summon the Forbidden One? The Warmech?"

"I shall." Garland confirmed. "Do so, immediately. We're off." Turning from her, he reached out with one hand, and tore the sky. Where his fingers passed, the air ripped in half, sliced open into a black hole filled with stars. Without fear, he stepped through it, and after only a moment, the four he had chosen followed him through. It closed behind him, and Tiamat fell upon her forces.

"Well, don't just stand there! Fill the Palace! Wizard Vampires, to my room. I will show you the ritual you must complete." As she strode off towards her chamber, Tiamat felt, just for a moment, a twinge of fear at the thought of what she was about to unleash.

But then she remembered who and what she was, and her dark heart was filled with glee at what the Forbidden One would do to the world she hated so much.

----------------------------

The Yahnikurm Desert was one of the harshest locales on the planet. Blazingly warm in day, bone-shattering cold at night, and filled with hostile sandworms; and yet, all these dangers paled to the intense sandstorms created by the deadly winds that eternally ravaged the desert. In its center was the only break in the endless dunes; a single golden tower that rose like a thin mountain, as high as the buildings in Lefein but shaped to a point on its top. The Mirage Tower, all that remained of the capital that had once stood there. Today, though, there was one more building; a house, only an hour's walk away from the Tower. Curious, a sandworm rose from the earth and poked at the door, which promptly opened to reveal death in a sword.

"It never stops." Luke groaned as he wiped sandworm ichor off of his blade. "Let's go, fellas. Time to start the party." Grumbling, the other three Light Warriors followed him. All four were wrapped in protective cloth to spare their flesh the bite of the desert winds and sands as they continued the walk they had begun weeks ago.

"Stupid, stupid Tiamat." Drake complained, as he had every day. "Would it really have been too much to ask to be able to land the _Icarus_ in this desert? But noooooooooo, there _has_ to be sandstorms down here that would rip it apart if it came too low. We _have_ to walk all the way here. Sometimes this job sucks."

"Hey, look at it this way." Luke grunted. "Today's the day we get payback."

"That is something." Drake admitted.

Together, the Light Warriors made the last few steps of their journey to the Mirage Tower. Before the door, Luke raised the chime they had received from Halcyon in Lefein, and as it rang, the door opened of its own volition, allowing them inside. Once it closed behind them, they all discarded the heavy wrappings with relief, and looked around and up at the tower's interior.

As the home of the royal family of Lefein, the Mirage Tower was grandly decorated; ancient murals and carvings covered every surface. Walls, ceiling, even floor were etched in complex patterns, though the latter were broken and crushed from the feet of Tiamat's minions who had carelessly trampled the work of centuries. Looking up, the Warriors soon saw there were very few separate rooms; most of the Tower was one huge chamber without dividing walls, only bridges and platforms between the sides that all connected to the single, vast spiral staircase running around the outside edge.

"Greetings!" A voice made all four jump, and they turned to see a robot just like Sid bowing to them. "Are you the masters my series-mate hoped to send?"

"That's us, all right." Drake confirmed. "We're here to bust Tiamat up."

"I see." The robot answered. "My apologies for the rudeness, then." Suddenly, it lunged at them with both metal-clad hands. Before it could reach, multiple lightning bolts struck it as Vlad cast a spell. Sizzling, the robot jerked around crazily, then collapsed in a pile of scrap.

"Be paranoid about suspicious strangers." Vlad noted. "Sid did warn us."

"Right." Luke nodded, absently stabbing a pouncing chimera. "Let's head on up." With Luke and Drake at the head, the Light Warriors advanced up the stairs. The two swordsmen mercilessly slaughtered anything in their path as they continued their inexorable advance, hacking and slashing automatically like some terrible engine of destruction. Behind them, Vlad used his spells to pick off any who struck from behind or above, while Mary kept them all intact. Howling beasts, shambling mummies, shrieking vampires like the one who had served Lich; all fell as the four heroes rose further and further into the sky.

"No sign of a dragon." Drake noted after some time. "Think she'll show?"

"Bahamut knows what he's doing." Mary assured him. "If he thinks she'll come out to us, she will."

Step by step, the Light Warriors continued upward, until finally they stood before a door and wall at the top of the stairs. Another robot by the door stood to attention as they approached.

"Welcome, users! This is the teleport chamber! Transfer to the Sky Palace requires a cube!"

"We've got one." Luke answered, watching it warily; however, this robot didn't seem to be interested in attacking.

"Excellent! Please proceed, then!" The robot saluted.

"Okay." Luke led the way into the room. It was mostly bare; in the back was a row of metal blocks covered in bright lights and strange devices. Aside from that, the only thing of note was a square metal panel in the center of the chamber.

"Still nothing." Luke growled. "Where is she?"

"Who is 'she', mortals? Would it happen to be me?" A feminine voice purred from above their heads. Eyes turned upwards to see the sapphire-scaled dragon clinging to the wall above the door like a gargoyle, finely tapered head swiveling to look at them each in turn. "Welcome to the Mirage Tower. I am Shiva, and I would greet you in the name of my mistress."

"Your husband sends his regards." Mary replied sadly. "And his regrets."

"I have nothing to say to that, or him." Shiva stated simply. "I serve another now. That service requires your deaths. Prepare yourselves." Straightening, she launched herself off the wall, and the Light Warriors scattered as the blue dragon slammed to the floor. Mary and Vlad were already chanting, but Shiva's head turned to them first. "Planning on Anti-Lightning? You should have done so before entering this room, fool!" Her maw opened, and a crisscrossed network of blindingly white lightning tore out, striking both mages and blasting them into the walls. As soon as she closed her mouth, Shiva whirled and met Luke's sword, which had been descending on her neck. In her claws, the former dragon queen held a massive hammer carved with images of a storm, and as it touched Luke's sword, electricity ran up the weapon and into the Fighter. "Don't take me lightly, whelps. I was Bahamut's queen for a reason-ah!" Shiva yelped as Luke forced her hammer down with superior strength.

"Maybe, but we trained with the big guy himself." Luke growled. "And he's the boss for even better reasons." Growling, he continued to shove the hammer down as Drake fell from above, slashing at the dragon queen's face. With her free claw, she met him, but the ninja caught it with his sword even as he spun around to kick her in the eye. Howling, Shiva fell back, but even as she tumbled she struck at Luke with her hind claws and tail. Unable to meet all three, the Fighter was knocked away, and the limbs were next turned to Drake, who fell just as quickly, although neither were seriously hurt. Scrambling, Shiva regained her footing a moment before a massive fireball blew her into a wall, just as she had done to the Mages who now stood behind her.

"Bahamut also told us your weaknesses." Vlad informed the charred dragon who weakly struggled to pull herself out from the wall. "Fire. He wanted to make sure we got this job done. You've suffered too long; now it ends." As he moved to cast the spell again, Shiva's maw snapped open.

"Not that easy!" The network of lightning struck out again, electrocuting all four Light Warriors, but Vlad resolutely ground out the last few words of the spell, and a second fireball just as strong as the first exploded into the fallen queen. There was silence as the Light Warriors rose, but Shiva did not. Mary healed them, but aside from the words of her spell, all four remained silent, remembering the look on their enemy's face in her last instant alive. There hadn't been time for words, but words hadn't been needed; they all knew what the look of gratitude had meant.

"I'll call Fire." Vlad said after the healing was completed. Pulling out the Orb, he concentrated, and the Element's face appeared. "It's done. Are they ready?"

"Yes." Fire nodded. "I'll tell Bahamut, then. Call me again in about two hours, and I'll tell you if it's ready for you to go on up."

"Got it." Luke nodded as he and Drake pulled Shiva's body out from the crater in the wall it occupied and moved it in front of the door. "Well, we've got a barricade at least. Now we just sit here, hold off anything that comes down from the teleporter, and wait for the sky to catch fire."

----------------------------

In the back of a room of cold gray steel, lifeless and mechanical, there was a row of metal blocks covered in bright lights and strange devices. Aside from that, the only thing of note was a square metal panel in the center of the chamber. Without warning, the panel suddenly began to glow, releasing a column of light that reached to the ceiling. Then, like gods emerging from the source of all existence, four humans stepped from the light, each bearing an Orb. A knight of Corneria, an elven ninja, and two wizards in white and black.

"So this is the Sky Palace." Luke frowned, looking around. "Doesn't look like much from in here."

"Let's try going through that door before you pass judgment, hm?" Drake suggested, opening the portal in question. Walking through, the Light Warriors said no more, but only stared at the sight revealed to them now. In the outer halls of the Sky Palace, the walls between them and the world were transparent and glasslike, though their true nature had to be much more durable. Through the walls, they saw the sky like never before, even from the top of the Lefeinish refuge; though it was day still, darkness and stars surrounded everything. Far, far below, barely visible through the window's edge, was the blazingly bright surface of the world they called home. What truly attracted the eye, though, was the intense, insane battle in the skies. Flying towards each other, half from the Sky Palace and half towards it, thousands of winged reptiles converged. Once more, dragon would fight dragon in all-out war. At the fore of the attacking force was the dusty black mass of Bahamut, once more holding his twenty-foot longsword. All eyes were upon the Dragon King as he suddenly began to spin in place, whirling around like a tornado. As he spun, the dirt of ages flew off, flung away by the intense forces created in the movement. When he stopped in the air, Bahamut was still black and grey, but now those colors were from the skin underneath his scales, which were as transparent as the walls of the Sky Palace. And then, as the Dragon King roared his defiance, the scales began to glow, lighting up white and bright, blindingly so.

"His breath weapon." Drake snapped his fingers. "All the time we trained with him, he never used his breath weapon. All dragons have one. What's his? And what's with those scales?"

"The sun!" Vlad gasped in realization. "He's absorbing power from the sun!" Now the Dragon King's form was completely illuminated by light so bright it burned the eyes even when closed, and it continued to grow even moreso. And then, in an instant, it discharged in a blistering beam of absolute destruction that blazed across the sky in an instant, all the way to the Sky Palace and even through it, judging by the noise heard above them. All of the enemy that had been in the Dragon King's direct line of sight were gone, completely eradicated by the eruption of their former monarch's rage. And then, as if that were not enough, there was another blast, startlingly similar to Bahamut's, emerging from the one form in the King's companions that was not a dragon. The conspicuously different shape of the airship _Icarus_ flew through the clouds, unleashing Lefein's own technology against the enemies who had taken everything from them. And then, as the airship's beam cannon died down, the two forces collided head-on. Dragons tore across the skies, slaying each other with devastating breath attacks and terrible weapons-and, if all else failed, fangs and claws. At the center of it all was the glittering majesty of Bahamut, destroying all he saw in a terrible fury; by his side, the _Icarus_ continued to strike its own revenge with the aid of the pirates who had returned it to the skies.

"Looks like Fire was right." Mary shook her head, gripping the war hammer Shiva had wielded tightly. On an impulse, she had taken it from the dragon's claws before coming to the Sky Palace. "We won't have to worry about the dragons, at least-AH!" She, along with the others, jumped as two dragons slammed into the wall before them. After a moment of panic, they recognized the two as Huan and Razie.

"So you're in, huh? Good work!" Huan congratulated them. "It's not over yet, though; we're keeping the dragons busy, but there are still plenty of other bad types in that Palace to get in your way."

"Something else, too." Razie cautioned. "His Majesty says there's something else going on. Something about a dark force coming to Tiamat's aid. He doesn't know exactly what it is, but thinks you should be careful."

"Got it." Luke nodded. "We will. Looks like he's really getting into this. What the hell was that breath attack he used?"

"It's called Mega Flare." Huan explained. "He hasn't used it even once since he lost his fight with Tiamat. Now, though… now, everything is going to be settled. Today, it all ends."

"Get up to the top." Razie told them. "Tiamat's waiting. We're counting on you." And then the two dragons were gone, backflipping away from the transparent wall and flying back into the fray. Further conversation among the Light Warriors was ruled out as, from the four hallways that connected to the space around the teleporter room, monsters poured out.

"Manticores east, chimerae west…" Drake looked around quickly. "Naga south, they look blessed… and more of that Eye-thing from the Ice Cave north!"

"Eyes shut! We go north!" Luke commanded. "Worst enemies guard the way we want! Vlad, blast them out of the way! We'll keep the rest of these off your back!"

"You got it." Vlad nodded calmly as he faced the shrieking Eyes. "This should do the trick." A green sphere of light appeared in his hands and expanded outwards as it flew towards the Eyes, pulling them into itself. Howling, the beasts vanished, and the sphere faded away. "They're gone! Let's move!"

"What the heck was THAT?" Drake wondered as they ran down the hall.

"Time magic." The Black Wizard smirked. "Sent them to tomorrow. It's the highest level, so I can't do it many times, but the situation seemed appropriate."

"Just be careful with those." Mary warned him. "Time or Death magics are surely useless against Tiamat herself, but save those for when you really need them."

"Yes, I know." Vlad frowned as they came up on a metal box like the ones used in the Lefeinish buildings. "Do we trust this?"

"No choice. We gotta go up." Luke decided. Reluctantly, they piled in, and took the mechanism to the next floor. As soon as its doors opened again, Luke and Drake thrust their swords through, skewering the opponents who had been waiting.

"Are these humans?" Mary frowned, examining the bodies; two knights in black armor.

"Yeah, but they've been given the Blessing." Drake pointed out the fading specks of cloud set in their foreheads. "Some punks will volunteer for anything to be on the winning side. They got what they deserved. Let's keep going." The Warriors continued down the hall to find themselves in another intersection, this one with eight paths. "Nobody's coming out to give us a tipoff this time, looks like. We'll just have to choose one."

"Righto." Shrugging, Luke set off down a path, and the others followed. The room it led to was long and lined with various machines and tanks of bubbling liquid, and other, more gruesome things.

"Some kind of laboratory." Vlad guessed. "Those human corpses over there are being turned into undead, it looks like."

"Well, _that_ ain't undead, but it's damnably familiar!" Drake yelled, pointing at several blobs of black goo that were crawling out of a tank. "Those are like the crap from the Marsh Cave, I'll bet!"

"That's not all." Mary narrowed her eyes. "There's a monitor on the tank. It says they're immune to most magic. But not fire!"

"Right!" Vlad growled, summoning forth another massive fireblast of the kind that had decimated Shiva. "I'm certainly using that a lot lately; good thing I'm over my issues with it." He frowned at another experiment. "Hello. This is adamantium. I didn't think there was any left."

"Hey, I know about that stuff." Luke stepped up and looked at the chunk of jet-black metal in question. "One of the guys at the dwarf cave told me about it when we were drinking. Said if I ever found any he'd make me a sword out of it. Looks like I can take him up on that."

"Why?" Drake frowned as the Knight snatched up the adamantium. "It's not like you'll be able to get it to him before we face Tiamat, and that's about all that's left for us to do, right?"

"Remember, we're all feeling like something more is up?" Luke reminded him. "Let's say I'm just being cautious. Now let's get out of here before something worse comes out to say hi." Returning to the main chamber, they took another route, and came to a small closet with various pieces of clothing hanging. "Huh. This looks useless."

"No way." Mary stepped forward eagerly. "These are all enchanted. Look at this, Vlad." She handed him a jet black tunic.

"Resistant against Ice and Time." The Black Wizard examined it eagerly. "And responds to hostile touch with a mid-level Ice spell. Very nice."

"One for me, too." His sister pulled down a matching white tunic. "Responds with hi-level Invis spell, resistant to Fire and Death. And one more thing…" She handed an iridescent ribbon to Drake. "Here you go."

"Been too long since I had a haircut anyways." The elf shrugged, pulling his hair back in a ponytail. "Right. Try again?" Their third choice of hallway, unfortunately, wasn't nearly as successful; it led them to a room full of huge, lumbering stone golems that took a great deal of time and effort to destroy. The fourth time was the charm, though, bringing them to another moving box and up to another floor radically different from those before it. There were no walls, and the floor was broken and winding, an unguarded network of pathways over the sky, with one misstep promising a long fall to doom.

"Don't be fooled." Vlad told the others. "It's a trick. We should be able to feel wind if this was real."

"Hey, yeah." Drake brightened up. "Can't feel that at all."

"I think I'll be careful to stay on this path regardless." Luke muttered. Carefully, the Light Warriors worked their way to a steel cube with a robot standing by it.

"Greetings! Would you like to look through the great window?" The automation asked them. "This window will allow you to view the entire world, and all the magic currents active in it!"

"Sure." Vlad shrugged after a moment. "Why not." Stepping up to the one portion of the block that was not complete, the Black Wizard looked down, then blinked. "Hey, this isn't good. Look at this." The other three Warriors joined him, and looked down over the world, seen from above. Every continent was shown in exact, if far-off detail. What had caught Vlad's attention was the vast array of colored energy stretching over it all; most notable, four massive streams from the corners of the world, forming an x-shape. From the Earth Cave, orange. From the Gurgu Volcano, blue. From the Sea Shrine, purple. And from over their heads down into the world, green. All four, converging on their geographical center of the x-shape. The Temple of Fiends, in Corneria.

"Those are the colors of the Fiends, not the Elements." Mary wondered. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know, but I don't like the looks of it." Luke growled. "We'll have to ask the Elements about this once we finish Tiamat, but I think taking that adamantium was a good idea."

"Excuse me?" The robot asked. "Did you say you're here to slay Tiamat?"

"Yeah." Drake frowned, remembering the robots who had attacked them. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all." The robot pulled a strange sword from its back, and the Light Warriors tensed for a moment before it offered the blade to Drake, hilt-first. "This katana was used by the leader of the Sky Warriors. Please, take it."

"All right." Drake took the sword. It was long, thin, and slightly curved. "Katana, huh… I like the feel of it. Thanks, pal. Any more help you can give us?"

"The fourth floor is a maze." The robot answered promptly. "Here are instructions as to the correct path." A piece of paper came out of a slot below its eye, and Mary took it.

"This is a map, all right. Thank you." Turning, the Light Warriors continued across the walkway, slaying everything in their path. When they reached the next floor, and followed the robot's instructions through the maze of stone square pillars all alike, they continued to do the same. Dark elves and humans swinging deadly swords; vampires and sorcerers casting spells; lumbering stone golems and raging air elementals; all fell before the might that the Light Warriors now held. In the end, they rose from the maze onto the top of the Sky Palace, a massive, wide platform with nothing to see but a bridge to a floating spire with a single room attached.

"That's where Tiamat will be." Luke decided. "Looks like she's unguarded up here. Good."

"No, wait, there's something on the bridge." Drake narrowed his eyes. "Too far away to see clearly, but it's coming this way. Looks mechanical."

"Just one sentry, though." Luke shrugged. "Can't be worse than Shiva was, right?"

"I don't know." Mary frowned. "Something feels bad about that thing." The machine in question was not humanoid like the other robots; its main body was a dome, with tubes connected to various systems along it, and a single eye in front. The assemblage appeared to be made out of some bronze-like metal with a sickly, diseased sheen, and was carried on two sturdy legs that were now picking up speed as it saw them. And then, between one step and the next, the dark wave of its presence washed over them, as it had with the three previous Fiends.

"Is this Tiamat?" Luke growled. "Coming out to meet us?"

"_No!_" Three voices howled in unison, as the faces of the Elements suddenly appeared in the air, staring at the machine in shock.

"Huh?" Drake blinked. "Thought you guys said you didn't want to come too close to the Fiends-"

"Don't talk, you fools!" Water roared. "Run! Run for your lives! _Now!_"

"Do what he says!" Luke barked, and the Light Warriors turned, dashing back into the automatic box and heading back down to the fourth floor. As the doors closed, they saw something rising from the enemy's back, and a moment later, a series of tiny dents appeared from the other side, punched in at an insane rate.

"The Warmech." Fire was muttering as the box descended. "I can't believe she summoned _him_."

"Mind telling us what this Warmech is?" Drake asked tensely. "Is it as bad as Tiamat?"

"Worse." Earth shook his head. "The Warmech is also called the Forbidden One. He was cast out of existence from a world that existed long before this one. If Tiamat's been able to call him back… well, think about that later. For now, you need to concentrate on escape. As soon as you get out, _run_ into the maze down here. Warmech will be right behind you."

"You can't beat him, no matter what you do." Fire assured them, tone panicked. "He's immune to all forms of elemental magic, and your swords will barely be able to dent him. Your only hope is to lose him down here, then get back up and get to Tiamat before he finds you again."

"Enough talk! You're here!" Water bellowed. "_Go!_"

Obeying, the Light Warriors rushed out of the elevator. Looking around at the startled masses of enemies, they chose an open spot and rushed it, ignoring the foes as they fled into the maze. Less than a minute after their flight, they heard the heavy metal footsteps behind them, and the discharge of high-technology weaponry, accompanied by screams.

"He's slaughtering Tiamat's forces." Mary realized grimly. "Probably just to get them out of his way."

"Slaughtering is right." Drake winced, looking over his shoulder. "He just ripped a stone golem in half like it was nothing. I think making a few creative turns would be a really good idea…" He paled. "And we should do it now! He's aiming something at us!" Grabbing Mary, he jumped to the left, with Luke and Vlad only moments behind. Even so, they were nearly too late; the place where they had been standing was hit less than a second later with dozens of tiny metal shots that carved deep into the floor.

"A gatling gun!" Luke snapped his fingers. "Like the one on the _Icarus_! If we get hit by that thing, we've had it!"

"Then let's not get hit by it!" Vlad suggested, diving behind another pillar, this time to their right. "Mary, think you could do something about our visibility?"

"Just waiting until I got a moment clear to cast." The White Wizard summoned up the high-level fog spell, filling the maze with vision-concealing gas. "That should help. Let's run some more; once we've got more distance, I can make us all invisible, and that should do it."

"Yeah, those footsteps are getting awfully close!" Drake and the others dodged again as more gatling shots tore through the fog.

"Gatling gun ineffective." A cold, unemotional voice followed them. "Switching weapons modes. Activating grenade launcher."

"Shit." Luke swore. "If you hear something land near you, _move_."

"I think we could have figured that out." Drake joked weakly as a sphere of fire erupted behind them. A moment later, the elf vanished from sight. "Right. We head back towards the top once we're all invisible?"

"I've been remembering the way." Vlad nodded, disappearing as well. "Once this clanking monstrosity's off our backs, we can go-argh!" The next grenade had blown up right next to the mages, and both were sent flying, Mary shimmering and disappearing while icicle skewers were launched from Vlad back at the Warmech.

"You okay?" Drake yelled.

"We're fine, it was only glancing!" The White Wizard assured him, casting the Invis 2 spell on Luke. "At least now I don't have to take the time to cast this on myself! Let's get going!"

"Grenade launcher ineffective." Warmech replied tonelessly. "Switching weapons modes. Activating twin cannons." Following that, there was the sound of an explosion, and two metal spheres the size of human heads blasted past, destroying stone pillars in their path effortlessly.

"How many weapons that could level a city does this thing _have_?" Drake demanded of the heavens as they ran.

"If we had dodged left or right when it fired that one, we'd have been caught." Luke realized. "When you hear that sound, hit the deck; they'll go overhead."

"That'll let it catch up to us!" Drake protested.

"Then we'll have to run faster!" Vlad snapped. "One hit from those things will be instant death! _Down!_" The sound of the cannons was heard again, and the Light Warriors dived down, cannonballs flying overhead and knocking out more pillars. The ceiling began to creak and rumble dangerously.

"That'll be coming down soon at this rate!" Mary warned the others. "We need to get out of here!" Jumping back to their feet, they ran for the moving box on Vlad's instructions, stopping every so often to avoid the cannon shots. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they saw the shape of the mechanism ahead. "There it is!"

"Twin cannons ineffective." Warmech sounded almost angry now. "Targets in danger of escaping. Preparing nuclear weapons."

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that." Luke shoved the box's doors open. "Up! Let's go!" They rode the box up, relaxing ever-so-slightly, then froze as they heard the voice below them.

"Nuclear missile ready."

"Screw!" Grabbing the place where the twin doors met, Luke forced them open with his bare hands, grunting at the strain. "The moment you see sky, jump out!" Without a word, the Light Warriors did so, and not a moment too soon; the explosion behind them blew them all forward into an undignified heap. Looking behind them, they saw that nothing at all remained of the mechanism but a hole leading down. The entire structure of it had been obliterated.

"Hey, he screwed up!" Drake grinned. "Now _he_ can't follow us up here!"

"With everything else that thing can do? Don't bet on it." Vlad snarled.

"Across the bridge!" Luke agreed, and the Light Warriors dashed for it, under the still-raging war in the skies between dragons. When they were halfway across the bridge, there was a heavy clank behind them that was soon repeated, and all four paled.

"He _did_ get up!" Mary glanced behind them. "Jets on his feet! He's even faster now!"

"Will he catch us before we get to Tiamat?" Vlad yelled.

"I don't know!" Drake looked as well. "Aw no, he's got some kind of giant weapon coming out of his back!" It was a canister, open end pointed in their direction. As Warmech continued to follow them, another canister filled the larger one, this one with a pointed end aimed at them.

"Nuclear missile ready." Warmech repeated.

"No!" Luke bellowed. "We were so close!"

"Don't tell me you're giving up now!" A new, deep bass voice roared as a massive shadow covered them all, blotting out the sun. Even Warmech stared upwards in surprise as Bahamut, the Dragon King, towered over them in the skies on wings of crystal. Swooping down, he ripped the Warmech from the roof like a bird of prey. "Leave this one to me! Tiamat's yours! _Go!_"

"You heard the man!" Luke agreed. "Let's move!" Finishing their run across the bridge, pausing only to let Mary cover them all with Anti-Lightning, they slammed the door open and went inside.

"Now then, let's see how you match against me!" Bahamut bellowed at Warmech, hurling him at the side of the Sky Palace. Bouncing off, Warmech righted himself, firing the jets on his mechanical legs to hover in the air before firing the nuclear weapon. The explosion caused by it was colossal; screaming in pain, Bahamut fell, and Warmech gave chase.

"Nuclear missile effective. Preparing repeated application."

"You want effective?" Bahamut snarled, scales glowing. "I'll give you effective!" Maw wide, the Dragon King launched the Mega Flare once more, straight into Warmech's front. When the beam cleared, the death machine was no longer shiny and metallic, his entire surface blackened and charred. But still he moved.

"Error! Error! Enemy's offensive output equivalent to this unit's!" Warmech beeped. "Data impossible! Erroneous input must be destroyed! Nuclear missile ready!"

"Damn you…" Bahamut hissed, staring his doom full in the face without fear. The nuclear weapon hissed as it prepared to fire, and Warmech's one eye glinted with triumph. Right before the airship hit.

"Right of way violation!" Bikke howled as the _Icarus_ slammed into the robotic enemy at full throttle, knocking it away and sending the nuclear missile spiraling harmlessly down towards the Yahnikurm desert below. With a mechanical snarl, Warmech whirled around.

"Activating flamethrower!" Pulling out another barrel, it began dispensing flames over the deck of the airship, and the pirates scattered, rushing below deck.

"Burn my ship? Hell no!" Bikke roared, not budging from the controls and punching another button. "Moonstone Cannon, _fire!_" The intense main beam weapon so similar to Bikke's blasted Warmech, charring it further, but still the death machine moved through the air.

"Nuclear missile ready!"

"Aw, crap!" Bikke's eye widened for a moment, then grinned. "_Gotcha!_" A twenty-foot longsword slammed into Warmech's rear, slamming him down, as Bahamut returned to the fight. Again, the nuclear missile went wild.

"How long until that cannon recharges?" Bahamut yelled to the pirate.

"Couple minutes!" Bikke yelled back, activating some mechanical fire extinguishers. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh yeah!" The Dragon King agreed, slicing at Warmech again and ignoring the waves of flame that washed over him. "This thing is getting on my last nerve!"

"Flamethrower ineffective! Switching weapons modes!" Warmech replied just as angrily. "Activating beam saber! Nuclear missile ready!"

"Shut up, already!" Growling, Bahamut forced the death machine's body back away from him, and the nuke fired, missing once more. More deadly, however, was the metal arm that extended with a glowing blade of pure energy on its end. Shifting his grip on Warmech to his hind claws, Bahamut struck at the enemy's beam saber with his own blade to keep it away from him. "Any time now, pirate!"

"All right, already!" Bikke yelled. "Let 'em loose!"

"About time!" Bahamut cast Warmech downwards and flew up, taking a position above the Airship as its nose pointed down. Foot-jets still firing, Warmech rose up to meet them, not noticing or caring as the Dragon King began to glow and the _Icarus_' cannon energized.

"Double tech!" Bikke and Bahamut screamed. "_Moon Flare Overkill!_" Not one, but two energy beams of colossal power slammed into Warmech, boring into the exact same spot on the death machine's hull. Warmech buckled and fought, then stiffened, and with the shriek of tearing metal, both beams emerged from his backside.

"Nuclear… missile…" The death machine moaned. "Ready…" One last missile fired straight up as Warmech fell, spiraling down and down, caught at last by gravity as its leg-jets failed. The same gravity that caught the missile when it found nothing to hit, propulsion failing and dropping it down after its master. The two faded away, becoming specks in the distance, and then complete invisible. And then, finally, there was a cloud of sand blown up by a large impact, shortly followed by a fireball of truly incredible size.

"Another one bites the dust!" Bikke howled. "So much for that sucker!"

"That just leaves Tiamat." Bahamut scowled up at the Sky Palace high above them. "Oh, my. Look at that."

"Eh?" Bikke followed his gaze. "Whoa. Didn't expect _that_. Still, if anybody can live through that…"

"It'll be them." Bahamut agreed. "Good luck, Light Warriors."

----------------------------

As soon as the Light Warriors stepped into Tiamat's room, the floor they stood on sprang to life, sliding them forward of its own volition. Startled at first, they quickly recovered and stood silently as it brought them to the altar and throne, both of steel, and the glowing green sphere that began to crack open even before they reached it, erupting with lightning.

"So, even the Warmech failed to stop you." The voice came from several mouths at once, eerily echoing, as multiple heads emerged from the sphere. Dragons, or at least dragon heads; five of them, on long, coiling necks covered with spines and horns. Writhing like a nest of serpents, the heads were followed by a bulky body even larger than Bahamut's. There were no wings, but four clawed limbs and a lashing tail like any other dragon's, all the scales electric blue. Ceasing their thrashing, the heads all turned to glare at the Light Warriors, and the wave of darkness that marked the Fiend's presence followed. But this time, the Light Warriors did not flinch even for a moment as it covered them.

"Tiamat, last of the Fiends." Luke greeted her coldly. "We're here to kill you."

"Really? And here I thought you had come this far to sell fine leather jackets." Tiamat hissed with amusement. "Well then, this is it. One way or another, your adventure ends today. Let me assure you, though, that the odds remain heavily in my favor despite the aid that wretch Bahamut gave you." She sighed theatrically. "I knew I should have killed him when I had the chance. Even such as I make mistakes on occasion. Well, I hope you're not counting on him helping you any more. Him or that fool of a pirate. My dragons will sacrifice their lives en masse if need be to keep them away from here. This is between us."

"Actually, I think Bahamut's busy with that clanking monstrosity out there." Drake informed her. "You know, the freak with the nukes."

"Bahamut duels Warmech?" Tiamat laughed. "And I thought the pirate was a fool. It seems my error will be rectified today; even Bahamut has no chance against Warmech. I wonder if he will die before or after you four?"

"He's not dying, and neither are we." Mary denied coldly. "You are, though, just like your siblings. That was the reason _we_ were created. To kill you."

"Oh, I'm so scared." Tiamat held up her foreclaws to hide two of her faces, then lowered them and grinned. "I think not. But rest assured, I will not insult you by playing mind games like the other three. I respect your power, if nothing else. I don't think we really have anything more to say to each other, so shall we start the party?"

"Finally, one of you freaks talks sense." Vlad smirked. "I agree. Let's begin."

"Yeah." Luke echoed, raising his sword. "Enough talk. Come on, Fiend of Wind. We're ready for you."

"Are you so sure about that?" Raising all her heads, Tiamat roared, and the room around them exploded, blasted into metal shards that blew away over the edges of the Sky Palace. "You fought the other three in their elements, now you shall brace me in mine! _Fly!_" The roaring from the Fiend of Air was drowned out by the surge of winds that suddenly burst into life around them, a raging cone of gray that lifted all four of them into the air. Screaming, the Light Warriors were caught up in the tornado, and Tiamat rose after them, in the storm's center.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Drake yelled. "This has to violate some sort of rule!"

"I _make_ the rules in the air, little elf! You chose to challenge me in my domain! Now pay the price!" Shrieking in triumph, Tiamat slashed at Drake with her foreclaws. The first hit struck home, but the second was deflected with the elf's new katana, cutting open Tiamat's wrist.

"Not too different from what Kraken pulled." Drake grinned at her as his three companions attacked as well. "This is a pain, but we can still fight back!" Spinning wildly, the Light Warriors nevertheless attacked with blade and spell.

"Perhaps, but could Kraken do _this_?" Flattening her main body, Tiamat lunged out with her heads, one to each of the Light Warriors while the fifth raised upright to watch. Snapping and snarling, the dragon heads attacked with massive fangs, and were met with cold steel.

"Don't let your guards down!" Luke turned his head to glare at the others. "She's got to have more than this!" As he looked back, he saw the head he was facing grin before belching green smoke.

"Indeed she does!" Tiamat laughed as her other heads simultaneously unleashed their own breath weapons. That which faced Drake exhaled clouds of frost. The head confronting Vlad spewed a constant stream of fire. And from the head attacking Mary, lightning raged.

"Cripes!" Luke stared at the approaching cloud of green gas. "That's the stuff those Gas Dragons used! Vlad! Blast me with something easy!"

"Blast _you_?" The Black Wizard stared at Luke, then saw the gas. "Oh. Yes, dodging that would be good. I have a better idea, though." A fireball ignited the cloud, singing both Luke and the dragon head that had spewed the gas. Smiling, Vlad turned back to his head. "And by the way, Fiend, fire doesn't phase me any more." Proving the words, he charged into the next fireblast and created a twenty-food sword of ice that slammed into the enemy's face; though it broke apart into shards, Tiamat still screamed.

"Way to go, guys!" Drake grinned as he and Mary fought back with their own weapons.

"Hey, thanks!" Luke charged ahead and slammed the enemy with a broad swing that removed two feet of her snout. Howling and trailing green energy the head reared back, and the Knight turned back to Vlad. "Hey, I got an idea! Trade!"

"Sounds effective. Let's do it!" This time, the Black Wizard did hit Luke with a minor fireblast, adjusting his flight path through the whirling winds so that he came to the ice head; at the same time, Vlad blasted himself to the poison gas head. "Come on, Fiend. Hit me with that gas."

"I think not." Tiamat began whirling around, even faster than the tornado. "I can change positions too! And more!" All four horizontal heads began spewing their breath weapons, the elements combining into a circular wave of magic that washed over all four Warriors equally. Mary swore mildly under her breath and began healing them instantly, Luke following suit. Before they finished, though, the heads stopped again, locking into place. The one with the shortened snout now faced Mary. "Hahaha! Let's see _you_ taste the poison, healer!" As the maw gaped, Mary's hand whipped around to her back and returned bearing a staff.

"Gladly." The White Wizard focused her will through the artifact from the Sea Shrine, and flames were born into the enemy's maw even as the gas rushed from her throat. The explosion, taking place inside Tiamat's own mouth, had the obvious result, and one dragon neck hung limp and headless, dripping green glow.

"One down!" Drake cheered, combating the lightning head with his katana. "Let's keep it up, fellas!"

"Wretch!" Tiamat snarled, bringing the fifth head down on Mary. This one, when its maw opened, struck with a blast of wind, and the White Wizard buckled.

"Damn!" Luke saw what was happening, and charged his head, ignoring the fireblast meeting him. "Vlad! Blast me at Mary when I say now!" The White Wizard was currently to his left, and her brother to his right.

"All right!" Vlad growled. "Just let me take this thing out for a moment!" Freezing ice covered him, and the Black Wizard buckled, but finished his own spell nonetheless, and as gray light covered it, the head froze in surprise.

"What the hell?" Tiamat's other three heads screamed. "What did you _do_?"

"Can't feel it? Not surprising; that one's frozen in time." Vlad explained. "It'll break free before long, but this frees me up for a moment! Luke?"

"_Now!_" Taking advantage of Tiamat's distraction, the Knight rammed his sword into one nostril, hooking the Fiend of Air like a fish.

"Right!" Vlad hit him with a stronger spell this time, and both Knight and head were borne towards the White Wizard. And the head she was facing. With a sick crack, the two heads slammed together, and Luke pulled his sword free.

"I'll keep them off you!" He yelled to the heavily wounded White Wizard. "Heal everybody; we're still in trouble from that multi-element wave!"

"You boast, whelp!" Tiamat growled. Both heads breathed together, striking the Knight with flame and wind, and he grunted in pain, but held together, slapping at them with his sword.

"I'm also tough." Luke grinned fearlessly. "Hit me with everything you've got, it still won't be enough." Beyond, he saw both Drake and Vlad still dueling with their heads. "Keep it up, guys! Help's on the way!"

"So I see!" Drake grinned, renewing his assault as he was healed of all injuries. "Thanks, Mary!"

"Excellent." Vlad echoed as he too was healed. "Pity you can't do that, hm, monstrosity?"

"No, but I can put you right back in the same shape you were before!" Tiamat whirled around, releasing her multi-elemental wave again, this time with the bone-breaking winds replacing the acid gas. When she stopped, the four Warriors were separate once more, and heavily hurt again. "We can keep this up all day!" Now Mary was subjected to ice, Vlad to air, Drake to fire, and Luke to lightning.

"Yes!" The Knight charged into the attack as soon as he saw what it was, and continued forward as it struck, completely unfazed. Tiamat could only stare as his blade whirled around in a massive, two-handed strike that chopped halfway through her neck in one blow.

"No! How?"

"Anti-Lit, before the fight started." Luke brought his arms back for another strike, ignoring repeated strikes of lightning. "That, plus my natural toughness, makes for one attack I can take without pausing even for a moment." The blade whirled again, and the head flew, decapitated. "Three to go! Vlad, blast Drake to Mary and me to that head! Mary, heal us! Drake, keep that one off her so she can!"

"Right!" All three Warriors yelled in unison, following the orders without pause.

"Damn you _all_!" Tiamat screamed in frustration, striking at Vlad with wind and Drake with fire; most enraged of all, however, was the ice head, which lunged at Mary with fangs even as it spewed the cold, sinking its teeth into her shoulder as Drake approached. "Haha! Just try and get me away from her, elf!"

"She can handle that herself." Drake narrowed his eyes. "Right, Mary?"

"Right." Mary agreed. Despite her pain, the hammer she now held was brought around to slam into Tiamat's throat, unleashing a wave of electricity along with the force of impact.

"Shiva's hammer!" Choking, Tiamat was forced to release, and Drake pulled Mary away, substituting his blade. Freed, the White Wizard began to heal them all once more.

"As you said, lady." Luke assaulted the fire head, already partially thrashed from previous attacks of both his and Drake's swords as well as Vlad's magic. "We can keep this up all day."

"Can you now?" Tiamat roared. "Even if I do _this_?" The tornado around them suddenly changed its intensity, flinging the other three Light Warriors away while drawing Luke closer. Shrieking triumphantly, the Fiend of Air turned all three of her remaining heads to the Knight. "The others all made mistakes, singling out those who held their orbs! The one to kill first should have been the leader! Without you to direct them, those three have no hope!"

"I don't think so." Luke grunted, absorbing all three elemental strikes as he continued chopping at the fire head, the most heavily damaged of the three. "They're stronger than you give them credit for. Than any of you ever did, or ever will. That's why I count on them. Like now." Gray light struck the head of air, freezing it in time, and a wave of fire hit the ice head, two medium-level fire spells combined into one much stronger.

"Did you think you could get rid of us that easy?" Drake yelled, speaking for the other two as well. "Spells can be used from a distance, even if weapons can't!"

"Told you so!" Freed for the moment from the other two, Luke bore down on the nearly dead fire head and completed the job with an overhead chop. "Right then! That should be enough for me to take this out!" Reaching into his pack, he pulled out the Orb of Air.

"Oh, no you don't!" The air head broke free of the spell, and both recoiled, dragging the main body with them. Grimly, Luke followed, then froze as the tornado that held them up suddenly disappeared. Tiamat remained hovering in the air, but the four Light Warriors fell, suddenly returned to gravity's embrace. Bleeding green light from dozens of wounds, the remaining two heads of the Fiend of Air leered down at the Light Warriors. "Hahaha! Die! Fall, and perish!"

"It's up to you now!" Vlad yelled at Luke as he and the other two all focused their wills. "Finish it!"

"We're counting on you!" Mary echoed.

"Kick her ass!" Drake cheered, as his and Vlad's natural black magic combined with that summoned from Mary's hammer. On a rising wave of fire, ice and lighting, Luke was pushed back up towards the Fiend of Air, sword in one hand and Orb in the other.

"So, you fight to the end!" The ice head snarled, as the air head worked at something on the deceased fire head. "I guessed you would. Come, then!" Now Luke could see what she did; gnawing, the air head was chewing off the fire head, leaving the neck as bare as the other two stumps.

"What the hell are you _doing_?" The Knight demanded.

"Freeing the path!" Tiamat's fangs pulled back, stained with the green glow that was her own lifesblood. Two heads and three necks flattened out and whirled around, and the multi-elemental storm was unleashed once more. Even without the heads, the neck stumps now surged out waves of their attacks. "Die!"

"You fight to the end too, I see." Luke grunted, pain washing over him. Burning, freezing, shocking, melting, crushing… but still he rose. "Good spirit. But still, not as strong as ours. I will not stop. I will not fall. I am _strong_, and so is the will of my friends!" As the ice head passed him, his sword ripped it off, and the frost in the storm paused. Forcing through the intense pain that covered him, the Knight rose past the final head, flipped, and landed on Tiamat's back. Gripping his sword, he plunged it down into the Fiend. Scales, flesh, and the green power beneath were all torn through. And Tiamat screamed.

"Get_ off!_" Turning, the last head savaged him with its fangs, but Luke continued to stab, deeper and deeper, widening the wound with every thrust. "Give _up!_"

"_NO!_" The Knight roared. "I will _not!_" Reaching into the bleeding, gaping hole with his free hand, he shoved the Orb of Air inside, then began to slam it down with his sword like a hammer. Tiamat screamed again, this time an unending, constant shriek, as golden energy filled her, wilting her other four necks and dropping them off like deadwood from a tree. Her remaining flesh blackened, the golden light shining from it even brighter, as the airship _Icarus_ rose from below, the other three Light Warriors all standing on its deck, along with the pirates. Jumping from Tiamat's back, Luke landed on the ship as well, then turned to face his fallen foe. "Good fight. I'll give you that. But in the end, you lose, Tiamat. It's over."

"Over?" The dying Fiend of Air hissed. "Hahaha… how sadly you are mistaken, my brave champions. Congratulations are indeed in order for your victory on this day. But it is only temporary. You have defeated us all, but our counterattack has already been set into motion. Enjoy a brief reprieve, but don't expect it to last. Prepare yourselves, for within days, _we shall return._"

"Bullshit!" Drake yelled. "We know how it works! The Elements are here now! You can't just chuck them aside!"

"If you don't believe me, wait and see." Tiamat shrugged, indifferent. "It matters not. Regardless of your belief, we will be back. And with us, we bring the end of the world. I shall see you again soon… until then!" Shrieking with laughter, the Fiend of Air evaporated, leaving only the glowing yellow Orb that fell into Luke's hands.

"Take us back to the roof, Bikke." The Knight ordered as Mary healed the horrible wounds that covered him. "One last thing to do."

"Ah, right." For once, Bikke obeyed without comment, dropping the four Light Warriors off at the altar and throne. Placing the Orb of Air on the altar, Luke sighed.

"It is done. The Fiend of Air is dead. Let the Air be returned." White light, bright and pure, filled the sky. When it faded, a noble, proud-looking lady with silver hair stood before them in a golden dress. Luke bowed deeply to her. "The Element of Air, I presume?"

"Yes. Well done, sir Luke. And all of you as well." Air smiled for a moment, then let it disappear. "Unfortunately, we have little time for joy. I am sorry, but you and Captain Bikke must leave here at once."

"It's not over, is it." Luke frowned as well. "I was afraid of that."

"Indeed." Air turned to the _Icarus_. "I will increase the speed of this noble machine while you rest and recover aboard it, and I confer with my siblings. With the full force of air speeding its flight, you should be back at Crescent Lake within days, and we shall confer with the Sages there. Something is terribly wrong."

"You feel it too, milady?" Bahamut landed next to them. "I suspected it as well. Tiamat could not have called that abomination Warmech by herself."

"Indeed." Air nodded to the Dragon King. "We must go, and we must go now."

"All right." Luke agreed, climbing back aboard the airship along with the other three. "Let's get some rest, guys. I think we're going to need it."


	16. Chapter 15: Who And What's To Blame

_**Chapter 15: Who And What's To Blame**_

"There it is." Garland rose to the top of the final hill before his destination, with his four companions close behind him. Here in Corneria, it was nighttime, the sky covered in clouds. No monsters neared the dreadful group, nor any other wild animals; they were alone for miles, with nothing but the grassy plains and the Temple before them in sight. "The Temple of Fiends. Although it's starting on its way back to the Temple of Elements now." The broken, decayed building was indeed showing signs of what could almost be mistaken for health; the age and grime beginning to fade. Though it could not be seen well in the night, the color was even beginning to return, the white of unblemished marble. "Disgusting. Well, we're here. Now, we wait."

"For what, master?" Carlton asked, removing his helmet. The sick green glow from his eyes and the speck of cloud in his head spread well away from him in the darkness; even the moon was shrouded in clouds, making the four monsters the only source of illumination for miles.

"For Tiamat's demise, of course." Garland glared at the Temple. "If we go in before then, the Elements will notice and stop us. In this form, I'm still too weak. The moment Tiamat dies, though, they'll be distracted. As soon as they are, we go in. Run straight ahead, don't make any turns or slow down. Just keep going. Our target is down at the end of the front hall, there's nothing in the way. Once we reach it, I'll take care of the rest."

"As you command, master." Myria replied, patting the restless Smithy on one of his heads. Hissing, the hydra suddenly whirled his heads around to a clump of trees, shortly before a hail of arrows flew out towards them, and Myria gasped. "Attack!"

"The Cornerian Guard?" Garland snarled. "Let's go, Carlton! The rest of you, stand back!" The other three obliged, and the two knights stood in the path of the arrows, wooden shafts bouncing off their plate-armored bodies without much effect. "Now! Kill them!" Charging, the villains reached the clump of trees, where the unlucky guardsmen were turning to run. Giygas and Myria were faster, though; circling around, they killed with a tap of a staff and petrified with a single glance, while Garland and Carlton ripped them apart from behind with their blades. Smithy charged into the center of the mess, heads snapping and spraying fire in all directions. The entire debacle was over in a matter of seconds.

"So much for that." Giygas snorted dismissively.

"Indeed. Well done, people. I chose you well." Garland complimented them, leading the way back to the field. In the weeks that they had taken to travel to Corneria, they had been attacked multiple times by local security; each time, the four followers had grown in skill. As they stood before the Temple, the Chaos Knight paused. "You know, I think you might even be strong enough for something else, that would make this operation even more successful."

"We are yours to command, master." Carlton bowed.

"Excellent." Garland smiled. "Everybody join hands, then. Myria to me, then Giygas, then Carlton. Carlton, hold one of Smithy's hands." The Chaos Knight completed the loop by doing so himself, and all five stood there quietly for a moment, as the magical power built. Then, the colored lights in their heads and eyes dimmed and were gone… then reappeared, but in different places. Their bodies followed suit; Myria's skin blazed red and fiery, while Giygas shifted to a deep green, and Smithy darkened to grey. Carlton's flesh was hidden, but his armor became covered with a white enamel. Only Garland remained the same.

"Changing Blessings." Giygas was the first to realize what had happened, tentacles over his maw spreading into a skull-like grin. "I never imagined it possible."

"For me, anything is possible, given the right material." Garland shrugged. "These should suit your bodies and minds more. Now, we continue our wait. It won't be long." There on that hilltop, the five villains waited, until the cold wind around them suddenly paled and stopped, and a glow of white light began to appear in the northwest, high in the sky. "It's time! Go!" Garland yelled, rushing through the Temple's doors. The other four followed him, tearing through the front hall and into the central chamber. There, on the altar in the back of the room, a black sphere of crystal the size of a man's head waited silently.

"An Orb?" Giygas gasped.

"Indeed it is." Garland agreed, smiling widely as he rushed to it. "The fifth Orb. _My_ orb. I'm back." As he reached out to it, the orb began to hum, and then glow, flickering between colors rapidly. Orange, blue, purple, green, and black; shifting, it began to expand, becoming not a sphere but a circle. A hole in the air, changing colors at blinding speed now, only a blur. "Come! Your destiny awaits!" Beckoning, Garland stepped through the hole, and after a moment, the other four followed. As soon as the last of Smithy's heads had gone through, the hole collapsed, reverting back into the Black Orb. With a clink, it dropped back to the altar, and remained there, silent and unchanging once more.

Above, clinging to the ceiling, the bats of the chamber watched and remembered, as they always did.

And in another time, but not another place, the Black Orb rose again, to the amazement of the four in the chamber. They watched in disbelief as the flickering, shifting hole opened, and Garland stepped calmly forward, followed more hesitantly by his entourage.

"Who dares?" One of the chamber's denizens demanded, waving a tentacle. "Who _could_?"

"Who else?" Another snapped at him, bones rattling. "You, sir. You are the Chaos Knight, are you not?"

"Indeed I am, Lord Lich." Garland confirmed with a bow. "But not the Chaos Knight of this time, as you all well know. I am a Chaos Knight of the future, and from the future I come to seek your aid. Fiends, be at ease, for I know you, and you know me. We are allies and more, and everything we stand for requires that we combine our forces to meet the greatest threat of all." The other four who had come with Garland remained silent, staring at the faces they had thought gone forever. The faces of their masters, the four Fiends, all assembled before them.

"A time portal." Tiamat hissed in wonder, watching the Black Orb collapse back into itself. "I had wondered as to its possibility, but to see it actually exist…"

"Save it, sister." Kary yawned. "He obviously came for a serious reason. Nothing like this has ever been done before. There's something big going on." She smiled at the Chaos Knight's companions. "And we need to know about it. I assume that's why you brought those four?"

"Correct, Lady Kary." Garland smiled as well. "They have partaken of your blessing, and have thus become part of you, and you part of them. The blessings contain remnants of your future selves, and their bodies enough power to increase your own for the battle ahead. Absorb them, and remember what will happen."

"Very well." Kraken stretched out a tentacle to tap Carlton on the forehead, and Lich followed suit with one skeletal finger to Giygas' temple. Both froze, then melted into orange and purple energy that flowed up the appendages into the two Fiends. Kary and Tiamat were more direct, mouths stretching to engulf the luckless Myria and Smithy. Their screams cut off abruptly as the two Fiends swallowed, traces of the light leaking from their maws for a moment. All four Fiends slowly nodded as the memories of their futures returned to them.

"This cannot be." Lich spoke at last. "We must prevent this. To be slain by mortals, the Elements returned before their time; it is an abomination. You were right to come to us, oh Chaos Knight."

"Indeed." Garland glanced around. "Before we continue, though, may I inquire as to the location of the current Chaos Knight? I think it is only proper that I follow the example set by my companions. As you've noticed, this body is weak. It will not serve me for much longer."

"I am here, Garland." A new voice called from the chamber's entrance. A man in shining plate mail, with a purple cape and horned helmet, exactly like that worn by Garland. "I'm sure you remember me."

"Of course." Garland stepped forward. "Shall we then, Chaos Knight?"

"We shall, Chaos Knight." The other man agreed. Touching hands, the two shimmered, then darkened, becoming mere man-shaped outlines around a black emptiness. The two shapes flowed together, becoming one, then returned to cohesion, a single Chaos Knight in his armor that stood before the Fiends. One by one, they bowed to him, but only Lich, the eldest of this cycle, spoke.

"Father Chaos." The skeleton murmured. "Command us."

"Father Chaos." The other three echoed in unison. "Guide us."

"Arise, my sons and daughters." The Chaos Knight instructed them. "Arise, and let us speak of the future. The future, and how we may destroy it utterly. And of _them_. Of the Light Warriors."

----------------------------

Crescent Lake City was different from when last the Light Warriors had been there. Then, it had been pleasant and beautiful; even when Kary had been driving the heat to stifling levels, something about the capital had remained strong. Now, though, the dark clouds that hung over the skies of the entire world had dampened the life from even this lakeside paradise. The city's inhabitants walked and talked slowly, dismally, each of them feeling the gloom that had overtaken everything.

The clouds had come minutes after the Warriors had left the Sky Palace, and remained ever since; a thick, black barrier that filled the heavens and refused to depart. Days passed, and the world shifted under them, but no matter how far south they went, the darkness remained, causing them to suspect the entire planet was similarly affected. To make matters worse, the Elements had been silent and unresponsive ever since Air had returned. Even Fire had not heeded Vlad's attempts to call her, to the Black Wizard's surprise and fear. The trip had not been pleasant, and when they came before the Circle of Sages again, the Light Warriors were as grim as the rest of the world.

"All right." Luke greeted the Sages without preamble. "Enough screwing around. We killed the Fiends, all of them. We did it. We _won_. And it's still not over. Something is _very_ wrong here, and we want to know what it is. Talk, old men."

"You don't know the half of it, Luke." Lukahn shook his head. "Something is wrong, all right. But at the same time, entirely expected, although nobody actually did expect it until it was too late."

"Didn't we tell you to stop with the damn mind games and clever wordplay?" Drake growled. "We don't have _time_."

"We know, stupid!" Vallash snarled back. "You want answers? Good, we've got them. We finally figured out some of the deal with the outsiders, the exceptions. The weird ones. The Chaos Knight, and the Black Orb." As she said the last words, all four Light Warriors reeled, clutching their heads, and there was a crack like thunder as a spell was broken.

"The Black Orb." Mary groaned. "How could we forget? We _saw_ it, but we never asked you, or any of the Elements. What's wrong with us?"

"Judging from that effect, I'd say somebody enchanted you before you became too strong to resist such a thing." Merton guessed, stroking his beard. "When was the last time you thought about the Black Orb?"

"Lich." Drake realized, eyes flashing. "He got us with his last breath. It has to have been him. So he and the others were planning this all along."

"But the Chaos Knight?" Luke frowned. "You mean Garland? Killing him was the first thing we did."

"Yeh killed him, yeah." Gakath agreed. "But yeh never figured out what the hell his deal was. Mistake. He came back."

"That'll teach me to make jokes about zombies." The Knight shook his head ruefully. "So he's back, and he did something to the Black Orb. What is that thing, anyways?"

"It's the fifth Orb, is what it is." Orric explained. "The Chaos Orb, the Orb of evil. The one that serves the Chaos Knight. He's to the Fiends what you four are to the Elements, and he's been around a lot longer."

"Like the Fiends, every few centuries, a Chaos Knight comes into the world." Macgreyson the dragon looked even more dismal than the other Sages. "We dragons should have known better, but we always dismissed them as not important in the long run. Ceremonial. Garland was only the most recent. It's always the same; formerly upstanding mortal champion suddenly becomes a monstrosity akin to the Fiends themselves and terrorizes whatever part of the world he came from originally until age dwindles his power to the point that he can be killed, and the power that filled him lies dormant until the next Chaos Knight rises."

"So then this undead Garland thing is out of the ordinary." Drake reasoned. "Something different happened."

"Exactly. _You_ happened. You killed the Fiends before their original turning points." Darious continued. "As soon as it became apparent that you could, the four of them began preparing something. They set aside a portion of their power that would be channeled to the Black Orb, and hid it. In their newly awakened states, the Elements didn't notice it until it was too late, and the spell was completed. The Black Orb has become something else. A gateway in time."

"Time magic." Vlad snarled, smashing a fist against his palm. "It's the most advanced magical element. But with that kind of power, such a gate is possible, all right. Where does it go?"

"Two thousand years into the past, to the time when evil's power was the greatest." Lashee answered, face grim. "At that time, the rising points of the Chaos Knight and the four Fiends was nearly identical. All five were at their maximum power. That is where the forces of evil plan their last stand."

"Time magic has rules, just like all magic." Kalabak continued. "That's our only advantage. The portal was created between two points in time, and cannot be altered from those points. If Garland and the Fiends take a month in the past to prepare before they come back to this time, it will be a month since Garland left this time as well. So we have some time."

"But they will return." Sarda stated definitively. "The Prophecy refers to it as a Time Loop; it works both ways. Garland will come back, and bring the rest with him. They will pour out from the Black Orb, all four Fiends and the Chaos Knight, at the heads of an army of evil massed into one force. And with that power, they will swarm over our world, and destroy it all beyond any hope of recovery."

"Then it looks like we've got no choice." Luke glanced at the other three Light Warriors, who all nodded. "We gotta stop this. Only way."

"Can you?" Calin wondered. "Can even you defeat all four, and the Chaos Knight as well, when their powers are greatest?"

"We gotta." Drake shrugged. "Like Luke said. Simple as that. If we don't, everything's over anyways. Why not try?"

"We're the only hope for the world. That's what we were taught all our lives, and what we still believe." Mary echoed. "That's all there is to it. We're going."

"Can you tell us how long we have?" Vlad pressed.

"A month, as Kalabak said. Or at least, so the prophecy states." Arasham reminded them. "I understand that the airship's power has been augmented even further by the Element of Air?"

"Yeah, we got time." Luke grunted, thinking. "A few last minute preparations. Run Vlad and Mary by Lefein to learn those last spells of greatest power, I think was how they put it. Go by the dwarf cave to get my sword made. Drake, you got anything in mind?"

"I'm good." The elf shrugged. "Then we hit the Temple, and hope the time portal works for us too." He chuckled grimly. "So even this was in the prophecy. They might have missed it now, but back when they were writing this, the Elements were planning for this to happen the whole time. Ma was right with her conspiracy theories all along."

"That actually makes me feel better." Vlad disagreed. "It means they believed we could do this."

"_You_, being optimistic?" Drake stared. "Yeah, it's the end of the world, all right."

"Enough, you two." Mary smiled despite a heavy sigh. "We should be going, then. Even if we have time, it's best not to waste it. The sooner we get there, the better."

"Yeah." Luke agreed. "Let's go. Unless you have any more advice?"

"Just one." Lukahn frowned. "The only thing in the prophecy we still don't get. Do you remember how you started your journey?"

"Of course. Sara." Luke frowned as well. "Hey, wait. The reason that was so important to everybody but me was because she was involved with the prophecy, but she hasn't done anything with that yet."

"Exactly." Sarda echoed. "The line in the prophecy about her is the only one we haven't applied to anything. 'The gift of the princess from the land of the Temple shall shatter the wall of evil, and the will of evil as well.' She's not supposed to go with you or anything, but… well, like we said, we don't know. Just keep it in mind."

"Right." Luke nodded. "And for the rest, we'll trust to luck and fate like always. Let's get going."

----------------------------

Weeks later, the clouds still remained in the heavens, but bore no rain; they simply hovered, grim and silent, refusing to let the slightest trace of light shine through. The people of Corneria were every bit as subdued as those in Crescent Lake, barely even noticing when the airship _Icarus_ had parked outside the city walls and four heroes had come to the castle. Explaining things to the royal family, the Light Warriors had decided to rest one last night in the capital where they had began their journey together. Now, Luke was on a balcony with the Princess Sara; the same which they had said their goodbyes on when the Knight had left the city, almost a year ago.

"The greatest sword ever made by the dwarves, or so he claimed." Luke recalled as Sara examined the gigantic longsword he now carried with him, the adamantium used to make it nearly pitch-black with only a faint sheen. "He named it Excalibur. I just hope it's enough. Good thing I was able to grab the stuff from the Sky Palace; wouldn't even have it otherwise."

"It suits you." Sara decided. "You look good with it. Like a true hero, instead of the klutz who tried swimming with his armor on a couple years back."

"I suppose that's a good thing." Luke admitted with a wince. "I'd take it as a favor if you didn't go spreading that tale around to the enemy, though. I'm sure Tiamat would find it hilarious, but…"

"I think I can manage that." Sara agreed with a faint smile that quickly disappeared. "You'll have to fight her again, then?"

"Tiamat? Oh yeah, and she'll be even worse." Luke replaced the Excalibur in its sheath across his back. "If I understand this right, all four of them will be worse than Tiamat was the first time. And even if we get them down, that still leaves Garland. No telling what _he'll_ be like now, except that it won't be good."

"This is too much." Sara declared suddenly, lowering her face into her hands. "It was bad enough that you had to out and fight the Fiends. The _Fiends_, Luke. And now that you've done that, and come back to me, you have to go do something even worse, and it won't even be in this time! Why? Why can't they just let you be with me? Haven't you done enough already? Why does it have to be you?"

"Sara…" Luke's voice trailed off as he realized he had no answer for her.

"Because there is nobody else, your highness." Another, older voice answered instead. "Because nobody else can." Both Luke and Sara looked over the edge of the balcony as the Element of Air rose, standing on nothing. "Because if he does not, the world, and everything in it, will end."

"Lady Air." Sara quickly wiped her eyes and curtsied. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to cast any disparagement on you."

"The court formalities are unnecessary, your highness." Air assured her. "Me and my siblings are beyond such things."

"Good." Sara stood quickly. "I never did like them. I'm guessing you know that already, though?"

"Indeed." The Element admitted. "I know that Luke owes you greatly; more than anything, you're the reason he has become so strong. And by extension, I owe you much as well; if not for that, I would not be here now, and Tiamat would still reign. You have my gratitude, your highness."

"Call me Sara, please." The Princess insisted. "And if I understand things, I owe you just as much. I've heard you and the other Elements directly created the Light Warriors. Which means it's thanks to you that Luke was present in my life. I don't know how I'd have managed without him."

"Oy, oy." Luke protested mildly. "Could we stop talking like I'm not here when, in fact, I am? Thanks."

"Be nice." Sara murmured before turning back to Air. "Lady Air, is there really no other way?"

"I'm afraid not." Air shook her head. "If the Chaos Knight is allowed to return through the time portal, not even these four brave souls will be able to halt the tide of evil. Everything will be broken, and this world will fall apart into nothingness. The only hope is to strike first; by taking the offensive, there is a chance. Otherwise…"

"Otherwise, it all ends." Luke finished. "And this place would be one of the first to go, so close to the Temple. I won't let that happen. I can't. I have to go, Sara, but I'm still keeping my promise. I'll come back."

"You'd better." Sara closed her eyes. "I'll never forgive you if you don't."

"I'd never forgive myself either." Luke agreed, then turned back to Air. "I assume you and the other three have been busy recently? You didn't come when we tried calling."

"Indeed. We've been trying to find out everything we can about the situation." Air confirmed. "The others are contacting your friends. I believe my sister in particular was eager to see young Vlad again."

"I can't imagine why." Luke shrugged, somehow managing to keep a straight face. "You must have been working pretty hard for her not to respond to him."

"This was important. As the men at Crescent Lake told you, this is a disaster." Air shook her head. "And we still don't have enough memory back to know what we were thinking back then. That was what we were mostly working on, without much luck. About all we got was that Garland didn't go alone. He took one Blessed minion from each of the Fiends with him."

"Weird." The Knight frowned. "Any idea why?"

"Yes." Air nodded grimly. "The blessing involves infusing the minion with some of the Fiend's essence. By taking back the essence of the Fiend from this time, and then having the Fiend of the past absorb it…" She broke off, seeing the glazed look in Luke's eyes. "Well, to get to the point, the Fiends back then will remember everything that happened to the ones you killed. They'll know all about, and be expecting, you when you come."

"Swell." Luke sighed. "And you won't be able to come with us, I imagine?"

"We and our opposites cannot exist at the same time." Air confirmed. "And even once you kill the Fiends then, the corruption in the Temple at that time was so strong, our consciousnesses will be unable to remain there for long. It'll all be up to you, I'm afraid."

"We'll just have to cope, then." Luke squared his shoulders. "It's our job, it's gotta be done, nobody else can. We'll manage."

"Good." Air smiled approvingly. "I knew you could. I'll leave you two alone, then."

"Appreciated." Sara smiled back as the Element dissipated. "All right. I won't tell you not to go, or to forget your duty, or anything like that. I know it wouldn't work on you. Just remember. You promised."

"I will." Luke agreed, and the two of them fell silent, watching the clouds above shift and churn until it was time for sleep.

----------------------------

"There it is, lads." Bikke the Pirate lowered his airship down in front of the Light Warriors' final destination. "The Temple of Fiends."

"Still as ugly as ever." Luke assessed the decaying, collapsed temple scornfully. "If we win this, we have _got_ to get some good remodeling crews in here."

"The guys who fixed up the bridge over the Temple River seemed pretty good." Drake suggested, then shook his head. "Man, seems like forever since that. And now we're right back where we started. Life's funny sometimes, eh?"

"Right, down yeh go." Bikke threw a rope over the side. "Shame we can't go with yeh, but them's the breaks. We'll be rootin' for ya from here, and if it don't take… well, we'll give it a shot."

"Excuse me?" Vlad blinked. "Nothing personal, but how do you expect to manage that?"

"Remember that clanking monstrosity in the Sky Palace? Think his name was Warmech?" Mr. Smite reminded them. "After we got him down, we pillaged the corpse, and pulled a whole lot of those 'nuke' things from him. The ship's got them all in the engine room now. If anybody comes out of that Temple that isn't you four, we're plowing this baby right into ground zero. World ending anyways, it's worth a shot."

"We'll pray that that doesn't become necessary." Mary winced. "But there's only one way to do that. We have to go now."

"If ya make it back, we'll throw the biggest party in the history of the entire damned world!" Bikke vowed as the Light Warriors climbed down. "And if ya don't, we'll be along shortly and we'll throw the party in the afterlife instead! Knock 'em dead, kids!"  
"And to think, when we found him he was just a petty crook terrorizing Pravoka." Luke chuckled once the pirates were out of earshot. "That seems like forever, too."

"Enough reminiscing." Vlad growled. "We've got business up ahead, and I'm not so optimistic as to expect it to be unguarded."

Despite the Black Wizard's reservations, however, unguarded was exactly what the Temple of Fiends was. Just like their second visit, the halls were quiet and lifeless, and the Light Warriors walked ahead to the central chamber without any fuss whatsoever. Inside, the Black Orb waited for them, a tiny speck of light visible in its depths.

"Right, now how do we do this?" Luke wondered. "Do we just walk into it, and the Time Gate activates?"

"That would be most unwise, young hero." A high-pitched voice answered, and all four Light Warriors looked up to see five bats flying down from the ceiling to circle their heads before landing on the altar, lined up in a row. "The Black Orb is the Orb of evil. To touch it without protection would doubtless be fatal, even for you. Especially for you, actually."

"Talking bats?" Drake shook his head. "_Now_ I've seen everything."

"That story." Mary snapped her fingers. "From the Lefeinish. Are you the Sky Warriors?"

"Indeed we are." The apparent leader of the bats confirmed. "Four hundred years ago we battled Tiamat, and were cursed with these forms. Now that she is slain, a portion of that curse is shattered, and we are able to speak."

"Have you been here all this time?" Vlad realized. "Then you must know about the Black Orb."

"Indeed. And we have heard Garland talk, when his senility overtook him." Another bat explained. "Back then, he only considered this plan in theory, but he still spoke of how you four would follow him."

"The Black Orb is strong, but your Orbs are strong as well." A third bat continued. "If you place them on the altar alongside it, the Black Orb's power will break, and the Time Gate will be open to you."

"Hotwiring it, huh? Works for me." Drake nodded approvingly. "Thanks for the tip, fellas."

"The fate of the world depends on you. That is more than enough reason for us to give aid." The leader of the bats squeaked. "Go then, into the past, and confront the true enemy. May the Elements be with you."

"If they aren't from the start, it won't be long." Luke smiled as the Light Warriors placed their orbs on the altar, one on each side of the Black Orb, forming a cross. Slowly, as if intentionally resisting, the Black Orb began to glow, until the darkness inside it was replaced by a bright white light just as strong as that of the other four Orbs. That white light spread, filling the entire room, until it was all the Light Warriors could see. When it faded, they were no longer in the central chamber that they knew. The shape of the room was the same, but it held none of the familiar dust and decay. More noticeable were the four statues that now stood in the chamber's corners, of the four Fiends. Stone images of Lich, Kary, Kraken and Tiamat sneered down upon them in eternal silence.

"Looks like it worked." Luke drew the Excalibur. "Now we just have to figure out which way to go."

"Hey, the Black Orb's not here." Drake pointed out as they took their own Orbs back. Indeed, the altar now behind them was empty, with nothing upon it. "Wonder where it went."

"Garland has it with him, I'll bet." Mary guessed. "Wherever he is. Let's find him."

"Right!" Charging through the door, Luke decapitated the first monster he saw, a startled frost dragon that had been caught completely off guard.

"What the hell?" Vlad wondered as he followed Luke, turning a chimera to stone. "This is anachronistic; Tiamat shouldn't have evil dragons following her in this time period!"

"Time's being put through the wringer, man. Some nasty side effects are all part of the deal." Drake reasoned, setting some animated ooze on fire. "Which way do we go, fearless leader?"

"Let's try the corner chambers." Luke decided. As they soon discovered, in its intact state, the back half of the Temple's ground floor was separated from the front, leaving them with only two choices. Carving their way through monsters, the Light Warriors made their way to the southeast corner, where a staircase led up.

"This place is multi-floor now. Figures." Vlad snorted, casting his dirk up the stairs and into the chest of a wizard vampire, followed with a fire spell that ignited the undead menace. "How high do you suppose it goes?"

"Hopefully not as high as, say, the Mirage Tower." Mary smashed a frost giant's head in with a blow that delivered intense electricity along with the crushing impact. The white-skinned monster's huge form jerked spasmodically as it toppled. "Or if it does, let's at least hope they have an elevator."

"Good way to get ambushed." Drake reasoned. "What now, fearless leader? Other corner rooms?"

"Naw. Let's check the center." Luke suggested. "The room above the one we came in through." Plowing their way through the monsters, the Light Warriors advanced to the central chamber. It was exactly like the one below, four statues and all, save for the back wall. What appeared to be some sort of door had been there, but was now covered with a dark grey square of energy.

"That looks like some sort of force field." Vlad frowned. "The question is, how do we break it?"

"Ha ha ha… as if you could." A hissing voice mocked them. "This barrier was created by master Chaos himself, and it draws its strength from everything negative in existence. Smash it, slice it, blast it, whatever you wish; your anger will only increase its strength." The air coalesced, forming a familiar shape; a skull, dark and foglike, formed of blue haze. The only solid-looking parts were the savage fangs that filled its jaw and the single, massive eyeball that stared at them, both blood red. "Welcome, Light Warriors. I'm Phantom, the bouncer in this fine establishment."

"An eye monster. One worse than the normal ones." Mary frowned. "And it's Undead, too. Luke, don't look at its eye."

"Got it." The Knight slammed his eyes shut. "What about you?"

"These ribbons we've been finding around should protect us from most of its magic." Vlad smirked. "Come on, monstrosity. Hit me with your best shot."

"As you wish!" Phantom snarled, staring the Black Wizard full in the face. For a moment, Vlad seemed to shake like he was in an earthquake, but then the effect passed, and he smirked.

"Knew it. Your boss needs a better hiring policy. Now it's out turn. We know how to deal with undead, right, guys?"

"Oh yeah!" Drake grinned. Together, all four Light Warriors released fire and harm spells, mid-level for the two swordfighters and full power from the Wizards. The Phantom could only stare helplessly as the wave of intense magic washed over him like a tidal wave, leaving nothing in its wake but a scorch mark on the floor.

"So much for that." Mary turned her attention to the force field. "This is a nasty piece of work, all right. I don't think he was bluffing when he said force wouldn't bring it down."

"That's okay, I've got another idea." Luke informed them as he began rummaging through his pack. "Yeah, I know, me with ideas? World's ending all right."

"I didn't say anything." Drake protested mildly.

"Yeah, but you were thinkin' it." Luke pulled out the lute that had been given to him by Sara so long ago. "He said negative emotions fuel it, right? So the converse should be true as well. Everybody, think positive." As he began to play the lute, his mind drifted to the future, and the princess who waited for him. After a year of practice at campfires and inns, even the Knight's fingers had learned to dance across the strings, producing the first tune Sara had ever played on it.

"Positive." Vlad echoed, pulling out the Orb of Fire and staring into its depths, now grey and hazy once more, but with a trace of white glow almost visible in the center from time to time as the fog within shifted.

"Yeah." Drake agreed, simply looking into Mary's eyes, and her back into his. "Think of the good times, folks. Of our friends. Sara, Bikke, Smite, Bahamut, and all the rest of them. The people we're doing this for."

The Knight played his tune. The Ninja and the White Wizard took each others' hands. The Black Wizard stared into the Orb. And the barrier began to melt. Sighing, it slid down bit by bit, solidity failing and falling apart, sloughing into a slimy mess that dissolved further into the air, becoming a fog that then ignited and burned away into nothingness. Beyond it, through the portal in the wall, a wood ladder let down into a shaft.

"Let's go." Luke put the lute away again, and without another word, the other three followed him down the ladder, back to the Temple's ground floor. More monsters awaited them in the back half, but the Light Warriors continued to slay them all as they moved towards the corner chambers in the back. In the northeast chamber, they found the stairs that led further down.

"Into the basement we go." Drake shrugged as they walked down, into another world. Bearing no structural resemblance whatsoever to the floors above, the basement was nevertheless familiar to them all. It was a straight tunnel that proceeded along a length that looked to match the temple above before turning to continue along another side. Unpaved and undecorated, the earthen walls were rough and crude, exuding a strange brown glow.

"It's like in the Earth Cave." Drake recalled, grimly tightening his grip on his katana. "Unless I miss my guess, we've got our first real fight coming up, fellas. Let's be ready." As they walked down the hall, Earth Elementals tore themselves loose and attacked, shrieking. Blade and spell cut them down, as they did with the golems that followed of mud and stone, and then with the Blessed medusae in the third hall. At the end of that one, a staircase beckoned them further into the Temple's depths. A staircase that was already occupied.

"Welcome, Light Warriors. It's good to see you again." Bones clattered inside the robes as Lich, the Fiend of Earth, rose from the stairs, wave of dark power preceding him. Now clad in the same vile orange color that filled his skeletal frame, Lich's bones were black as night, but the look on the skull was the same as ever. "The Phantom failed, I see. A pity; Garland had such high hopes for that one."

"Should have known better." Drake smirked. "Same for him hoping on you too. Ready to go down again, boney?"

"Perhaps." Lich admitted, raising spindly hands. "And yet, perhaps not!" As he laughed, golden power coalesced around his hands, and Vlad's eyes widened.

"Oh, shit!" The Black Wizard's curse came out an instant before the explosion, blasting all four Light Warriors all the way back down the tunnel to slam into the back wall with bone-breaking force. Groaning, the Wizards fell, and Mary began healing frantically.

"What the hell was _that_?" Drake demanded as Luke turned his own healing arts upon the other swordsman.

"Nuke. The most powerful black magic spell known to mankind." Vlad groaned, standing again. "It's non-elemental, so there's no way to guard against it. We have to take him down fast; if he uses that too many times, we're done for."

"Here he comes!" Luke yelled as Lich advanced towards them through the hall, lesser monsters having fled as soon as their master appeared. "Shot of Fast, if you don't mind!"

"You've got it!" Vlad cast the spell, as Drake used it on himself.

"Heads up!" The Ninja charged with the Knight by his side. Lich's hands shot out to meet them, but the katana and the Excalibur swung with unstoppable force, snapping the appendages off at the wrists and sending them flying away.

"Damn you!" Lich hissed, glaring at Drake. Golden light flashed, and the elf stumbled, then righted himself.

"Not this time!" Drake grinned fearlessly. "No instant death for me, thanks!" Lich recoiled, and he and Luke moved-diving to the ground. Surprised, the Fiend of Earth froze, then realized too late what was happening. The concentrated beam of fire and holy magic struck him, and he was blasted all the way back down the tunnel as he had done to them. Striking the wall, the Fiend of Earth rose quickly, rage filling him as he drew himself to his full height.

"Enough of this!" He began to cast the Nuke spell.

"I couldn't agree more!" Drake dashed under his hands. With a startled oath, Lich launched the spell at the other Light Warriors and recoiled-then grinned.

"Gotcha!" From behind his back, the Fiend of Earth pulled a blade. A katana, just like Drake's. The curved blade came down, and Drake's rose to meet it. Swords dancing, the elven ninja and the Fiend of Earth moved back and forth at the end of the hall while the other three struggled to heal themselves from the second Nuke spell. Suddenly, Drake shifted his stance and adopted a defensive position.

"Ha! Got you!" Gloating, Lich brought his blade down from overhead, but instead of remaining still to try and bear the hit, Drake rose on a pillar of flame and met Lich's blade with his own. The ninja's ascent proved the superior force, and the Fiend of Earth's katana spun away. Cursing, Lich slashed at the Ninja with his hands as he landed once more. Ignoring them, Drake ran to the base of Lich's robes, but did not stop; he continued to run, vertically, up the front of the Fiend of Earth. Caught off guard once more by the insane charge, Lich could only stare as Drake reached his head and slammed the Orb of Earth into the skull's gaping jaw. Lich screamed, and Drake leaped into the air, then came down with his katana into the skull, slicing it down the center and slamming the Orb through the Fiend's chest.  
"No, not again… how can you have become so strong?" Lich screamed as the orange energy filling him turned to white. With one last wail of agony, the Fiend of Earth exploded. Where he had been, a strange, green-skinned Wizard stared at them all for a moment before vanishing, leaving the glowing brown Orb to hover in the air.

"That's one down! Good work!" The voice of the Element of Earth congratulated them as Drake retrieved his Orb. "Keep moving!"

"Got it!" Drake grabbed Lich's katana as well. "Let's see how this works out."

"Don't kill yourself." Vlad warned as the Light Warriors walked down the stairs into a bubbling cauldron of molten lava. "Wonder what was up with that Wizard?"

"It didn't seem important. Let's focus on the job at hand." Mary cast Anti-Fire on them all, and they continued into the blaze. Giants with Iguanas on leashes, both Blessed, patrolled the floor along with the Fire Elementals that hid in the lava. All fell, regardless of their strength, and the Light Warriors made their way through the tunnels. This time, there was no single straight path, but a fiery maze that took longer than the previous floors to traverse. Still, they pressed on, and in the end, they found their goal.

"There are the stairs." Luke noted. "Kary's not coming out of them, though. Maybe she wanted us to go to her?" He and Drake started forward.

"No, wait!" Vlad yelled as he realized the trap. "Stop!"

"Too late!" Kary's triumphant shriek answered as the portion of the wall immediately to the left of the stairs exploded in a blast of flames that blew the Knight and Ninja away. Beyond the smoke, the Fiend of Fire emerged. The scales on her lower body were an ugly green, and both her humanoid flesh and the flames of her hair were bright blue now. In her eyes, the same raging hunger for destruction glared. "Hello again, Vlad. I told you we'd be meeting once more, didn't I?"

"Actually, I've been eager to do so myself." Vlad met her smile with one of his own. "For some reason, I really want to kill you again."

"That's the spirit!" Kary laughed, six arms moving the blades they held around her in a complex dance as Luke and Drake jumped her. Instead of forming together to guard like the previous fight, Kary's swords now spun around individually at high speeds, deflecting the swords of her enemies. "Let me just get these annoyances out of the way, and then you and me can catch up. It's been too long."

"Sorry, lady, but we ain't got time." Luke growled, attempting to take off an arm without much luck.

"You know how it goes." Drake agreed. "Places to go, people to kill, that sort of thing. I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, of course." Kary hissed, suddenly leaning back. Her jaw hung open, and another fireblast burst out, charring all four Light Warriors equally this time. Laughing, the Fiend of Fire charged Vlad, who stood his ground resolutely, casting a spell as she loomed above him.

"Let's see how your side likes this one!" The Black Wizard declared as golden light emerged from his hands, and the Nuke spell exploded into Kary's exposed form. At the last moment, realizing what he was doing, the Fiend of Fire reached behind her and pulled out something, just as Lich had. When the smoke cleared, it was made visible; not a new sword like Lich, but a mantle of blue cloth, with patterns of gold foil stuck to it.

"Master Garland was right to give this to me." The Fiend of Fire smirked from beyond the cape. "That spell would have hurt far more otherwise."

"That does look nice." Vlad agreed. "I think I'll take it after we kill you."

"If you can!" Kary challenged, swords swinging around to meet Luke and Drake's blades once more, this time only using five arms; the sixth remained free to pull up the cape of protection at a moment's notice. "Come on, Vlad! Hit me with another one!"

"If you wish." Vlad chanted, and a white skull appeared above him, eye sockets glowing red. Inexplicably, it also had the fins and tail of some sort of fish. Laughing, it flew into Kary's face, through the cape as she raised it. As it sunk in, she froze for a moment, then broke free.

"Fourex? Death magic?" She mocked him. "Did you really think that would work-_agh_!" She screamed as the blades of her foes finally found her arms, chopping two of them away.

"No, but it made you pause for a moment." Vlad informed her smugly. "And that's all we needed."

"You think this is over?" Shrieking, Kary blasted Luke and Drake away and charged at Vlad again. In her rage, she didn't even raise her blades; she simply fell upon him, mouth gaping open. Unflinching, Vlad ran forward as well and jumped to meet her, Orb in his hands. As he vanished into the Fiend's maw, the light from another Nuke spell shone out, and then the explosion came. Gold and blue energy both erupted outwards in a blast that knocked all three other Light Warriors flat. Through the haze, a red Medusa was seen for only a moment. And then the smoke cleared, and Vlad stood triumphant with Orb aglow once more, the cape he now draped over one arm all that remained of the Fiend of Fire.

"You did it. I knew you could. Thank you, Vlad." The Element of Fire's voice was jubilant. "I'll be with you from now on; keep it up, and win."

"That's the plan." Vlad agreed. "Onward."

The third basement, to nobody's surprise, was filled with water, and the architecture was aged marble like the Temple above, though carved in a different style. Like the floor above, it was a maze of many different paths, and the Light Warriors were forced to wander aimlessly as they slew the Blessed beasts of the ocean.

"You doing okay?" Drake asked Mary as she obliterated a wizard sahag.

"If you mean in regards to how much magic I have left, plenty." The White Wizard assured him, smashing another. "We're not needing as many healing spells as I thought we would, to be honest. If you mean in regards to Kraken, I'm fine there too." She smiled as the Thor's Hammer from Shiva slew a third foe. "He should get a real kick out of this one, I think."

"That's the spirit." The ninja grinned. "Let's hurry up and find him so we can kick his tentacled butt all over again, then." Continuing through the water, the Light Warriors eventually found the end of a hall that divided to go both left and right.

"Let's try left first." Luke led them to that turn, and they all saw the stairs at the end of it. "All right, that leads down. So Kraken-" He blinked, and whirled around.

"Here's ink in your eye!" The Fiend of Water laughed, darkening their eyes as he lunged from behind. Not letting up for a moment, he followed with each and every one of his limbs, pummeling the Light Warriors into the ground with tentacles that remained purple, but now glowed neon. The only true change in color was his vest, which was now a blood red. "Ha ha ha ha! All too easy!"

"You think so?" Mary struck back, and the electrical shock from her hammer's impact made Kraken pause.

"Ow!" He winced, then grinned. "Lightning 2? Don't mind if I do!" He released electricity of his own, and the Light Warriors all reeled, but stood their ground as Mary Lamped them, restoring their vision.

"Work out a plan!" Luke yelled to the Wizards as he and Drake charged. "We'll keep him busy!"

"Actually, I already have one!" Mary called back. "Brother!"

"Right!" Vlad called lightning into creation, hundreds of bolts that lined up along his arms before blasting off in rapid succession.

"Ha!" Sneering, Kraken brought up a tentacle with a cape just like Kary's that absorbed the brunt of the lightning. "What do you think of that?"

"I think it worked." Mary replied coolly from the water above him, having teleported there with the Exit spell a moment before. Cursing, Kraken tried to turn, but before he could, she cast another spell. And as the white glow washed over him, Kraken screamed in pain.

"Offensive magic? From _you_?" The Fiend of Water sputtered in disbelief. "Impossible!"

"The Fade spell. Holy magic so strong that it hurts all things evil, not just the undead." Mary explained as she swam down towards him.

"No!" Now panicking, Kraken turned his limbs upon her, then screamed again as the freed swords of Luke and Drake tore into the bases of the limbs. Another scream, as Vlad's magic struck him again, this time without the protective cape in the way. And yet he still attacked Mary, pounding and pounding over and over. "Die, die, die!"

"No." Mary healed herself, restoring her body from a broken mess to full strength with only one spell. "Not us. You." Enough tentacles had been removed that she could swim to the Fiend's face, and she met it with her hammer, crushing it inward and releasing electricity. Kraken choked and faltered, and the Orb of Water was cast home, shriveling him up into nothingness. The white-armored knight that remained only swam for a moment, clutching his throat in surprise, before disappearing as well.

"Good, good!" The Element of Water roared approvingly. "Yeh got him! Just Tiamat and the big guy himself now!"

"Yes." Mary agreed, collecting the drifting mantle of protection and draping it over her arm just like her brother before she dispensed a few healing spells to her friends. "All right, that should do it. Let's go."

The fourth basement was the strangest of all; the stairs led down to a winding metal walkway that hung over what seemed to be an endless void. Though the ceiling of the cavern was visible above, no walls or floor beyond the hanging path could be seen; simply darkness, stretching on forever.

"Today's advice? Don't fall off." Drake advised them, then blinked. "Hey, looks like she's not going to try anything sneaky at least." At the end of the path, Tiamat stood waiting, scales glowing green. Silently, she watched them approach, slaying all of her servants in their path. When they reached her, she regarded them for a moment longer before speaking.

"So you have come this far, and still you seem strong. If the other three fell, then I will have little chance as well. You have surpassed us, Light Warriors."

"Yeah, pretty much." Luke nodded. "It's our job. We're gonna mow you down too, and your boss after."

"Ha…" Tiamat's heads all grinned. "Fool. You know not what you say. The Chaos Knight is beyond your imagination; even should you slay me, you will fall at his hands. And with you gone, nothing shall stop him from destroying the world."

"Enough talk." Vlad scowled. "Banter is meaningless at this point. Let's go."

"As you wish!" Tiamat shrieked, all five heads flying out and exhaling, releasing the wave of five spells. The Light Warriors stood resolute, and met it with magic of their own. Mary raised the staff from the Sea Shrine, and summoned fire, while Drake and Vlad brought forth Lightning and Ice from their own powers. The two waves of magic collided and canceled each other out, but behind that of the Light Warriors, Luke ran with sword ready.

"History repeats itself, Tiamat!" The Knight yelled. "Get ready to die again!"

"We shall see!" Tiamat's right foreclaw met him with a sword, just like Lich had met Drake. Like Lich's, it was a katana, but the difference in quality was easily noticeable; the blade held by Tiamat was slightly heaver, yet more carefully shaped, and it shone like silver. It met the Excalibur in Luke's hand, and forced it back.

"No way!" The Knight gasped. "How?"

"You are limited to swords from this world, but I am not!" Tiamat crowed triumphantly. "The Masamune is beyond any blade this planet will ever know!" Roaring, she brought it down on Luke again, but this time the Knight met it with the opal shield he carried on his left arm, before chopping at the Fiend's closest neck.

"A sword does not make a swordsman." Luke snarled, striking again and removing the stunned head. "Lich had some skill, but you just chop. You've never used a sword before, you're used to teeth and claws and breath. You're not worthy of that blade!"

"Is that so? Then take it from me, if you can!" Tiamat's eyes narrowed as she attempted to slice him again, and was met with his shield just as easily. "Damn you!"

"Behind you." Luke replied easily. Two of Tiamat's heads whirled around to see Vlad call forth a glacier large than her body, front end pointed like a colossal spear. The massive iceberg smashed into her and bore her over the edge of the walkway, but Tiamat soon returned, running across the air like it was solid, igoring the gaping wound in her side.

"Wretch!" She spewed lightning and struck Vlad down, then returned to Luke. "Now then, we-wait, where are the other two?"

"Up here." Drake called cheerfully. His twin katana were lodged in the ceiling, and he hung from them easily. As Tiamat turned her heads to stare up, he pulled the blades loose and dropped onto her back. "Hope you don't mind me copying your move, boss!"

"Get _off_!" Tiamat spewed fire and ice both at the Ninja, who grunted in pain but remained there.

"Go for it, man!" The elf called.

"Huh?" One of Tiamat's heads began looking around for Luke, but found no trace of him. "You little… Invis?"

"That's what _I've_ been doing." Mary confirmed, also unseen. "Waiting for you to take your eyes off him so I could make him disappear. Now you can't find him."

"Is that so?" Tiamat suddenly brought the Masamune down on the walkway before the huge wound caused by Vlad's spell. "Wrong! It's so predictable!"

"It is, or you are?" Luke caught the blade on his shield again. "I told you, but you didn't listen. Fool." Dropping the shield, he seized the hilt of the Excalibur in both hands and lunged in a full-body thrust, ramming the longsword into Tiamat's wound up to the hilt. Bellowing in pain, the Fiend of Air toppled, and Drake jumped away. Pulling his sword out, Luke slammed the Orb of Air into the gushing green energy, and Tiamat melted away into nothingness, leaving only a grey hydra like a tiny version of herself that hissed in confusion, then followed.

"Well done." The Element of Air told them as Mary healed the group once more. "The Fiends are dead once again. All that remains now is the Chaos Knight."

"Yeah." Luke regarded the Masamune thoughtfully. "Was she telling the truth when she said this came from another world?"

"Indeed she was. Just like Warmech, but where he was a construction of pure evil, that blade can still be used for good." Air informed him. "It's yours now. Bear it well."

"Right." Luke slid the Excalibur into its sheath on his back and picked up the Masamune. "Okay, everybody, stairs are over there. We all ready to go?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Mary pronounced.

"Let us go, then." Vlad nodded. "The final battle awaits."

"Right." Drake agreed. "Party time it is."

"We can do it." Luke smiled at them all as he led the way down. "For the world, for everybody and everything in it that we care about. Let's win, guys."

The lowest floor of the Temple of Fiends was dark and silent; not a single monster waited there for them. Finally returning to the same style as the Temple above ground, it featured the same walls and marble pillars, but the knowledge of what lurked here gave the otherwise peaceful calm a intimidating feel. Unopposed, the Light Warriors walked through it, around a curved hall.

"This hall is built like a ring." Drake noted. "And it goes the other way too. A complete circle, you think?"

"More than that." Vlad pointed out lines of decorative pillars. "The angle of those suggests that they form one side of a triangle around the center."

"And three smaller triangles in the tips of that one." Mary finished. "Like some sort of magical array. It's like… like the builder wanted something down here to _stay_ down here."

"Well, it didn't work." Luke grunted, dismissing the architecture. "We wouldn't be here otherwise. There's the door." The plain, ordinary wooden door set in the inner wall was almost insultingly normal. "No turning back now. Let's get to it." Opening the door, Luke led the way through, and the other three walked behind him into the heart of the Temple of Fiends.

Garland, the Chaos Knight, waited for them.

"Welcome, friends. It's good to see you again. I'm sure you remember me." The villain greeted the Light Warriors from the fore of a complex display of statues. In the four corners of the room, stone depictions of the four elements in their most basic forms stood; a cluster of stones, a leaping flame, a drop of water and a whirling tornado. Between each of them and the center of the chamber on straight lines were graven images of the four Fiends, identical to those in the upper levels of the Temple. And in the center itself, an altar, with the Black Orb pulsing upon it. Before that altar, the Chaos Knight stood, steel armor and violet cloak restored completely, with the visor of his horned helmet down. "You slew the Fiends. I suppose that means you think you've won."

"We've come close enough." Luke shrugged. "Your plan's pretty screwed. There've been Chaos Knights before; if you go out there without them, yeah it'll be a pain, but will you be able to cause the end of the world? Think not. And especially not if we kill you here."

"You thought you killed me before." Garland wagged a finger at him reprovingly. "But I came back, and the Fiends sent me here. Now, here we are, two thousand years before any of you were even born. Things were certainly different back then, as I'm sure you noticed; the current Chaos Knight had a different idea of style than I did as Garland. Ah well, it's to be expected with my personality."

"You really caused us a lot of trouble, you know?" Drake grinned angrily. "Here we are, Tiamat's dead, we did our jobs, time to retire young and rich. And then we hear that hey, we got more work to do because one clown just couldn't stay dead and was gonna undo all our hard work. You got any idea how much that pissed us off?"

"Actually, I believe I do." Garland nodded in mock sympathy. "I do understand, Drake. It must have been something much like how _I_ felt when Tiamat brought me back from my well-deserved rest to tell me you four had killed two of my Fiends before their time, and were planning to follow suit with the others."

"Two of _your_ Fiends?" Mary raised an eyebrow. "That's an odd bit of terminology. Wonder what they'd think if they heard you call them that. I bet Kraken at least wouldn't like it; he seemed pretty petty about those kinds of things. Kind of sad, really, considering who and what he was." She paused. "Not as bad as thinking 'knock you all down' is an impressive threat, though."

"Ah, the thief's been working on your sense of humor." Garland noted. "Very nice; you really were a simple little thing when we first met. All that sanctimonious 'I-don't-like-violence' and nothing else, at least on the surface. Good to see you're letting it out. As for the Fiends, they'd approve, just like they did with my plan to return to the surface. And like they will when I bring them back again."

"What are you jabbering about now?" Drake snorted derisively. "Way I've heard it, even if you win, they won't be coming back until you're in dentures and diapers again. And that's not gonna happen anyways."

"You underestimate your own importance. How becoming of heroes." Garland congratulated them. "Humility and all that. But you can't be _totally_ ignorant. Especially you, Vlad."

"The Elements." Vlad replied after a moment. "They took a risk creating us, didn't they? That silly fool, what was she thinking? I'm going to have a long talk with her about this when we're through with you…"

"Such care, even when speaking with anger! You're just as changed as your sister!" Garland gave him a ludicrous thumbs-up, amusement filling his voice. "And you're right. You four are connected to the strength of the Elements. If you fall, and lose, and die against me, then they will lose their eternal struggle against their dark sides, and I will be able to transform them back into the Fiends with my Orb. And then, we shall carry out our plans as if you had never come here."

"To destroy the world." Luke growled. "To go into the future, and use your combined power to smash it all."

"That's the first part, yes." Garland nodded approvingly. "But it goes further. When our task is near completion, we shall return to the last portion remaining-here. And as it dies, we shall return to the past through the Time Gate, and repeat the entire performance."

"You're even more insane than I thought!" Mary snarled in disgust. "Do you have any idea what that kind of paradox would _do_?"

"_Yes!_" Garland threw his arms out widely. "It would obliterate this world beyond any hope of recovery, ever! Such is the reason I possessed mortal after mortal! Such is the reason I cursed the Elements to succumb to the Fiends! Such is the reason for my very _existence_! This world will die, and only I shall continue on, alone in eternity forever!"

"Who _are_ you?" Vlad demanded. "_What_ are you? The Elements evaded that question, even at the end, but it's time we knew. You're not Garland, not really, any more than you're the Chaos Knight of this time. You said you possessed mortal after mortal. Who's doing the possessing? What's your true name?"

"It's been evident all along." Garland sat back on the altar. "My name is my title, but I am no Knight. I am he who is beyond the Elements, beyond creation itself. To the Fiends and the Elements both, my name is Father. But to the world, I can truly be called Chaos."

"The Black Orb." Luke nodded slowly. "The Orb of Chaos. And the Element of Chaos, or the Fiend of Chaos… with you, I don't think there's any dividing line at all. Just times when you're not present. So you're the one who's been behind it all, from the very beginning."

"You have no idea how right you are." Chaos agreed. "Well, then. Now that we understand each other perfectly, it's time for us to settle this. To settle the fate of this world. Will it end, as it was fated to from the moment of its creation? Or will the inevitable fail, will chaos itself prove suspect to itself? It's time we found out, Light Warriors." From behind the altar, Chaos pulled his sword; a claymore, plain and ordinary, with no special design or shape at all. "Let's go, heroes."

"About damn time you got fed up with jabbering!" Luke charged, and Chaos met him, blades clashing.

"Tiamat's Masamune, I see. Perhaps I was mistaken in giving her that." The villain noted clinically, sword shining green. "Ah well, no helping it now!" Suddenly lashing out with twice his previous speed and power, Chaos forced Luke back, then whirled to meet Drake's twin katana as the Ninja dived from the ceiling towards him. "You stole Lich's blade too? Tsk tsk, such behavior from a hero."

"I was a thief before I was a hero." Drake shrugged, backflipping away easily and tossing a Fast spell at Luke. "If Earth decided that's the kind of guy who wanted to save the world, it just proves existence has a sense of humor."

"I _am_ existence, Drake." Chaos turned to smash Luke away again, ignoring the electricity. "So I'm happy to confirm your claim." He glanced at the Mages. "Not joining in?"

"Just taking the opportunity to soup up our defenses, since it looks like you're busy enough as it is." Mary explained. "Although my brother had something in mind, I think."

"Indeed." Vlad launched a massive fireball, and Chaos shuddered, pausing for a moment that Luke took advantage of. The Masamune slammed into the villain's back, tearing away his cloak and carving a deep gash in the plate mail.

"You're right, I do seem a bit under duress." Chaos admitted even as he turned to strike Luke again. When the Knight tried to guard with his shield, Chaos' blade slid off at an angle that nicked his arm. "You're better than I thought you'd be. I was hoping to play around in this form for a few minutes at least, but I think it's time I turned it up a notch."

"Yap yap yap, shut your trap!" Drake taunted as he dived at the enemy's back. Before he could strike, something emerged from the wound in the armor-or, to be specific, two somethings. Wings, broad and dragon like, scales shining golden as they spread behind Garland, and the Ninja's katana clinked off harmlessly.

"There we go! Can't catch me there again now!" Chaos laughed, turning to slash at the surprised Ninja and slice him across the gut. Heavily wounded, Drake rolled away, and Chaos moved in for the kill only to be smashed over the head with the Masamune.

"You're hardly invincible, big man!" Luke yelled, pulling his sword back for another strike.

"Neither are you!" Chaos retorted, spinning around to open a hefty gash on the Knight's arm. Despite the massive crack all along the horned helmet's top, he left it on, and no blood came forth. "And that goes double for your friends!" Suddenly changing his grip on the sword to one hand, he turned the other palm towards Vlad and instantly created a storm of lightning that smashed the Black Wizard flat, charred and smoking. "Now, where's the other Wizard?"

"Helping out! Miss me?" Drake vaulted over Chaos' head, turned as he landed, and caught the enemy's blade with his katana in an diagonal cross, the back blade reversed. "Boss! Blade breaker!"

"Got it!" Shifting his own sword around, Luke drove the blunt side into the junction of Drake's swords with all of the power he could muster in a double-handed swing. The force of both swordsmen focused into the edge that faced Chaos' blade had the intended result; the claymore broke, blade flying away.

"Oho! Time to step it up a bit again, then!" Chaos discarded the hilt effortlessly, then blinked as Luke and Drake dropped to the ground instead of pressing their assault. "What are you-"

"Planning ahead." Vlad interrupted him as he cast a titanic glacier in the Chaos Knight's general direction. It slammed into Chaos and bore him towards the back of the room, but as it moved, the momentum slowed, then stopped. Discarded gauntlets clanked on the ground next to Drake and Vlad, and the iceberg was raised, lifted into the air by the pair of immense, clawed hands that had caught it.

"Close, but no cigar!" Chaos whirled and hurled the glacier at Mary, who smashed it fearlessly with her hammer, electricity shattering it into man-sized splinters that showered the room.

"Ouch!" Drake winced as he narrowly dodged impalation, the skewer still scraping his leg. "Not that I'm criticizing you, love, but wouldja mind not trying that again too often in the future?"

"Let's see how you like it, then, elf!" Laughing, Chaos created an iceberg every bit as huge as the first and slammed it towards Drake.

"Kay." Shrugging, Drake melted it with fire before it reached him. "Try again? Oops, maybe not." He smirked as Luke slashed the villain across the waist, behind him and below the protective wings.

"You can't fight us all off." The Knight informed him as Chaos reeled. "Focus on any one of us, and the others will strike you down. Your strength is in solitude, but ours is unity. We will not let you destroy this world, Chaos."

"You judge my strength, but you still have yet to see its entirety!" Chaos spun and slashed at the Knight's chest with his claws, driving him back. As he did, his lower armor creaked and fell off, revealing more of a monstrous form far too large to have logically been contained by it. Scaled like his hands and wings, the legs bore additional decoration; two masks of bone on the knees, grinning skulls. Almost as an afterthought, a reptilian tail uncurled, knocking away the hundreds of rapid-fire lightning bolts Vlad sent. "See?"

"No big deal." The Black Wizard shrugged. "We're the same; so far, you haven't merited mine and Mary's strongest spells. You have to have noticed; we've been sticking with what's necessary, and saving our best for your best. And we're pulling even, as far as I can tell."

"Looks that way to me too." Luke agreed, slashing at the enemy's claws over and over without pause. "Which means we're really just wasting time here, doesn't it? Why don't we get down to business? This is fun enough, I guess, but we _do_ have other business to take care of."

"As you wish!" Chaos raised his hands, and golden light shone before exploding in the Nuke spell that blasted all the Light Warriors to their knees. Whirling, the evil one flew to the altar, where the Black Orb remained. "You wish to see the full power of Chaos? Then you shall! _Behold!_" Grabbing the Orb in both hands, he smashed it into his own chest, through the plate mail and into the flesh beneath. Vanishing into the darkness, the Orb disappeared, and the armor fell off, revealing a gaping hole that was soon filled by a draconic head, hissing. Reaching up to his face, Chaos ripped the visor of his helmet away as well, revealing his own features. There was no nose; the fang-filled maw stretched up to just below his white, blank eyes. The rest of the helmet melted into his flesh, becoming golden-scaled, the metal horns turning to bone. Now fully revealed, the incarnation of Chaos roared in triumph, and the room around them shattered.

"What the hell?" Drake yelled as the walls, the pillars, the floor and ceiling, and everything else broke apart into the endless, black void. Standing on nothingness, the Light Warriors faced their foe, the only thing that remained to them save the statues of the chamber.

"Welcome to _my_ world!" Chaos bellowed in triumph, covering himself with white light. All of the wounds and injuries from the previous fighting faded and disappeared, leaving his flesh unmarked. "The warm-up's over, children. Now, embrace _true_ Chaos!" As Luke charged, Chaos cast a hand at him, and a tornado formed, whirling into the Knight and catching him up effortlessly. Whirled and battered by the intense winds, Luke was borne away.

"Hold on!" Mary called, finished healing the others from the Nuke. Another spell came from her hands, and the tornado was interrupted by a wall of glowing white light that appeared around the Knight, shielding him. Chaos whirled upon her as Luke dropped, and water suddenly surrounded her, a swirling whirlpool that drew her around and down into its depths with bone-breaking force.

"Mary!" Drake yelled, running towards her. "Hold on, I'm coming-oh, damn it _all!_" A massive crack appeared in the nothingness beneath his feet, and cursing like a sailor, Drake tumbled into it before it slammed shut with a sickening crunch.

"Bastard!" Vlad spat, releasing another Nuke spell. Finally, Chaos winced under the power, but when the light faded he remained alive, smoking but smirking.

"Not good enough!" The evil one roared, snapping his fingers. Around Vlad, the air erupted into flames, hovering around him in an endless inferno. Howling, the Black Wizard tried to escape, but the blaze remained. Grinning, Chaos turned back to his final opponent, meeting Luke's blade with his hands. "And now there is only you, little leader of the mortals who thought they could destroy Chaos itself. You've _lost_, Luke. You've all lost."

"Think so?" Luke grinned back fearlessly. "Might want to look around you, then."

"What?" Chaos blinked, then released another tornado to sweep Luke away. Freed, he turned his head around, rotating it in a full circle. And as he saw the others, his blank eyes widened in their sockets. "_How?_" From the swirl and crack, from the inferno and tornado, four Warriors were rising, each holding an Orb. Battered, broken, but still defiant, they stood. Drake was worst of all, his body a hovering corpse, broken by the earth, and yet his Orb held him aloft, gripped by him moments before the crush. And then he stood again, white light restoring him to full health, as Mary's white magic brought him back from death with only a few words.

"Life magic beyond even the Clerics." The White Wizard smiled serenely, as she simultaneously mended her own broken bones. "You're not getting away from me that easily, Drake."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Drake smiled back.

"The only one who thought we would fall so easily was the fool, I think." Vlad followed up, completely ignoring the dreadful burns over his body. "He forgets who we are, what he himself told us we were."

"Let's show him, then." Luke suggested as Mary finished with his and Vlad's wounds. All four restored, the Light Warriors raised their Orbs above their heads, and the power poured out, covering them. Living, glowing auras of Earth and Fire and Wind and Water covered them, then solidified. Armor, weapons, even wings like those of Chaos, who was watching the display in stunned incredulity.

"What _are_ you?" The evil one demanded.

"We are the voices, the wills of the Elements." All four answered in unison. "The Elements created this world, and all who dwelled upon it. You came and tried to unmake it, to turn it back to the nothingness. But it is not your world, Chaos. It never was, and never will be. This world is _our _world, and you have no right to it. You have plagued it for far too long, Chaos! By returning to your true form, you have abandoned that of the Chaos Knights, who protected you. Now, you yourself shall be banished. Leave us, Father. This world is no work of yours." As they spoke, the cold stone statues came to life, stones and flames and drop and whirlwind becoming animated and filled with color. Beyond them, the forms of the Fiends, shifted as well, becoming the humanoid incarnations of the Elements. And in the center of it all, Chaos screamed in unholy fury.

"You _dare_ to speak to me in such a fashion?" Chaos bellowed. "Ungrateful children, I created you! I was the first, the nothingness from which all existence formed! Without me, there would never have been any of you! There would be no world, no Elements, _nothing!_"

"And we offered you the chance to aid us in making this world, and every other one." The Light Warriors continued, still filled with the Elements that had created them. "But you spurned our offer, and brought evil upon the worlds we built, seeking to return them to that nothingness. You brought evil upon _us_, Father, and made Fiends of us. That, we shall never forgive. For that, we reject you. Begone, and never trouble this world again!" Twin katana and great Masamune charged, and Chaos met them with one claw each.

"You have not the power!" The evil one raged. "_You have not the right!_"

"We have the right, for who else can? You are the one who has no right!" The Warriors spoke with scorn, as Mary and Vlad cast their magics. Fade and Nuke exploded together, and this time Chaos had nothing to shield himself. Screaming, he fell back, and the swords fell upon him, slashing into his arms as their wielders continued to speak. "You have never had the right to this world, and never will. To end your plague, we Light Warriors were created. It was not to slay the Fiends, Chaos. It was for _your_ death."

"You knew?" Chaos faltered, stunned once more, not even attempting to stop Luke and Drake's relentless hacking at his arms nor the continued blasts of Fade and Nuke. "You knew what I would do? You could not! I am Chaos! I am impossible to know, impossible to predict! None can see my actions!"

"You destroyed that yourself." The Light Warriors informed him, now smiling triumphantly. "To come to this world which you had no part in the making of, you had to possess the mortals who were the Chaos Knights. In doing so, you allowed _them_ to become _you_ as well. They, who you have wronged most of all, are calling for justice. And so do all those who you slew in their name. All who have suffered from your presence in this world have waited for this day, the day set forth in prophecy. The day in which Chaos itself is defeated. It is _now_." The clawed hands of Chaos spun away in blood and black energy, finally severed, and Chaos shrank back, covering his spell-blasted body with the stumps feebly.

"You cannot! You cannot!" He wailed. "You cannot!"

"We can, and will." Discarding swords and spells, the Light Warriors now advanced with their Orbs in their hands. Where the spheres of crystal touched, Chaos' flesh melted away into the void. Bit by bit, piece by piece, the monstrous form dissolved, claws and horns, scale and tail, fang and fury all melting away as one into the darkness that had formed it. Finally, nothing remained but the Black Orb, as Chaos' ribs and organs dissolved around the darkness that was his heart. The four Orbs of light covered the one of darkness, their light spreading to fill it. "And now, _begone!_"

"_No!_" The voice of Chaos howled in empty denial one last time as the white light filled the Black Orb entirely. All five Orbs glowed in unison, shining with the light of the stars. And then, cracks appeared in the central Orb's surface, and with an explosion that was beyond sound, or sight, or even feel, the Orb of Evil burst and was gone. Around the Light Warriors, time and space spun, black of the void replaced by the same pure white light of the Orbs. And then they fell to earth, back in solid existence once again, in the center of the Temple of Elements, in their own time and place. For a time, all four remained silent and unmoving, sprawled in the central chamber without a word. Eventually, Drake was the first to stand.

"Well." The Ninja dusted himself off with exaggerated casualness. "That seems to have done the trick. Shall we head back?"

"Only you could describe all that in such terms." Vlad grumbled, standing as well. "Idiot."

"It's part of his charm." Mary disagreed, standing as well. "Somebody has to. We'd never get back otherwise."

"Yeah, but I think we've got one more bit left here." Luke noted as he followed the others to his feet. "Check out the door." The others turned and followed his gaze to the row of plate-clad, violet-cloaked apparitions that stood in a row. Ghostlike and transparent, they stood before the Light Warriors in silence for a moment that seemed to last forever before one of them reached up and removed his helmet. The face underneath was young and unlined, but it still bore faint similarities to the features they had found under Garland's visor upon his death so long ago. As if it were a signal, the others all removed their helmets as well.

"Thank you." Garland spoke for them all. "Finally, we are freed from the curse of the Chaos Knights. We, and the entire world, owe you a debt beyond imagining, Light Warriors."

"Just doing our job, man." Drake shrugged. "But we appreciate the props. Go on to your rest, guys; if anybody deserves it, it's you."

"We shall, at long last." Garland nodded. "Will you be coming as well?"

"Huh?" Luke blinked, thinking the ghost spoke to them, then looked up at the fluttering of wings.

"We shall." The leader of the bats agreed, as their forms shifted and returned to human, transparent like the Chaos Knights. "We are freed of our curse as well, with the Black Orb's destruction. Now, our people can rebuild without fear of Tiamat ever again. Thank you, Light Warriors, and farewell." All of the spirits, Sky Warrior and Chaos Knight alike, faded and were gone.

"We did it." Luke smiled. "We really did it. We won, guys."

"Yes." Mary agreed. "But perhaps we should go outside before Bikke gets too antsy and decides to go ahead with his plan."

"Aw geez, I forgot about that!" Drake slapped his forehead. "We're still recognizable, right? Good. Come on, we gotta stop him."

"This is the most ludicrous exit ever." Vlad complained as they walked out. Laughing, the Light Warriors walked into the morning sunlight, and returned to their world.


	17. Epilogue & Author's Note

_**Epilogue**_

"And here we thought we were done with anything dangerous after we beat down Garland." Luke muttered to his three companions. "Boy, were _we_ wrong. Guess we shoulda known better."

"Nonsense, Luke." Mary smiled. "This is a great honor, and a privilege to… to…" She broke down, giggling, and Drake nodded with a smirk.

"Knew you wouldn't be able to finish that with a straight face. That's my girl."

"My poor sister, corrupted by darkness." Vlad sighed.

All four Light Warriors were gathered outside Corneria's throne room, waiting for the signal to enter after all of those inside were ready. They had been doing so for half an hour now, and after the additional time spent to make themselves as presentable and polished as possible, the four heroes were starting to grow restless.

"Yeah, yeah." Their leader sighed. "It's all well and good for you guys. You're not hooked up with somebody who's in there right now, and who coincidentally also hates what's going on with a burning passion. I'm never going to hear the end of this."

"Why? It's not your fault." Vlad blinked, confused.

"Oh, brother, where have _you_ been?" Drake rolled his eyes. "Advice to keep in mind, Vlad. It's _always_ the guy's fault. Regardless of motivation, participation, or even geographical location. _Always_."

"Be nice." Mary murmured. "You could always crash the party in the _Icarus_, Luke. You'd be on the run from the entire free world for the rest of your life, but Sara would forgive you."

"Tempting offer." Luke grunted. "Too bad it ain't happening. Bikke and the guys are all in there too, remember?"

"Oh Fire, thanks for reminding me." Vlad slapped his forehead. "I can only pray that they at least have the sense to keep all alcohol out of the room until _after_ the ceremonies are completed."

"Bahamut's in there too. He can keep a lid on Bikke, even if nobody else can." Drake shook his head. "Do any of _you_ know why those two have been so chummy recently? If I didn't know better I'd think Big B was joining the crew."

There were a few moments of stunned silence as all four envisioned _that_, diplomatic repercussions in imagined surround sound. Four involuntary mental blocks slid into place.

"Something about killing that clanking abomination, I think." Mary was the first to recover. "Warmech. The way I heard it, they did it together."

"Shoulda figured." Luke nodded sagely. "Nothing says 'male bonding' like killing something."

"This is why all groups of heroes need at least one female." The White Wizard sighed.

Further discussion was cut off as the doors to the grand hall finally swung open. Immediately lining up, the Light Warriors walked through, and were greeted by an ear-shattering cavalcade of cheers.

"My glorious champions!" King Mark of Corneria greeted them theatrically. Lined up on his sides were the seven Kings, one high priestess, one Elder, and one Grand Foreman that made up the rulership of the rest of the world. Through a newly opened window, Bahamut's head loomed over them, completing the tableau. "Enter, Light Warriors, and be welcome. All who have gathered here owe you beyond all imagining. Thanks to your efforts, the world is safe from the Fiends and the Chaos Knight both, now and forever."

"It was our job, and our honor." Luke bowed modestly, and the other three followed suit. "We are not worthy."

"Such humility, but worthiness is one thing you have in spades." King Mark smiled. "That, and rewards. We have all conferred, and decided that nothing shall be denied to you, throughout all the kingdoms of the world. Ask for it, and it shall be yours."

"Well." Drake coughed. "It seems to me that we've got quite an opportunity here, with everybody gathered in one place. An opportunity we shouldn't waste. It's one thing to put a stop to what's tearing the world apart. To actually put it back together, though; that's a lot harder."

"What Drake's trying to say, sirs, is that we'd like this spirit of unity to continue, if possible." Luke clarified. "Without the Fiends, there are elements in all of our cultures who've gotta be looking to find new enemies, new wars to fight. We need to put a stop to that right away; if we let things get out of hand, we'll replace the Fiends ourselves, and everything the four of us did will be meaningless."

"The Fiends were not the only evil in the world." The newly crowned King of Elfland mused. "My land in particular saw a man who, while far less powerful, was just as twisted and cruel."

"Exactly." Drake nodded. "We'd like it if the world's governments started up an alliance right off the bat, to help each other out instead of thinking about wars. To start with, I believe Lefein is in need of rebuilding. With Tiamat gone, they can finally do so; maybe if everybody else helped, that would set the right example."

"It shall be done." King Mark nodded firmly. "I pledge Corneria to this goal, and all of her strength."

"And I Elfland." The Elf King agreed.

"And I Cardia." Bahamut boomed. Following that, the other rulers had no choice but to agree as well. Some enthusiastically, some reluctantly, but all said the words, and all vowed.

"There are other evils in this world as well." Mary continued once they were done. "Those species' who are not gathered here, who served the Fiends. Trolls, Ogres, Giants, Sahagin, and the like. They still remain."

"Aha." The king of Pravoka nodded, smiling. "So we shall have an enemy to fight again after all."

"Belay that kind o' talk, matey, or I'll knock over yer capital again!" A voice jeered from the back of the room.

"Ahem… no, not at all." Mary coughed. "Just the opposite. Without the Fiends, I think it's possible that they can change their ways. We'd like to try and make contacts among them, see if there are any who are willing to learn better. Maybe we can teach them a different way." This prompted angry mutterings from some of the gathered nobles, but that broke off as the Cardia delegation all began to cheer.

"I like it." Bahamut echoed the other dragons. "And to all of you, if you didn't want peace, you shouldn't have asked for the Fiends to be taken down. Take it from somebody who's just finished a war against his own kind that went on for far too long; that kind of thing should always be avoided."

"Well, then." The King of Corneria nodded. "I think with that in mind, we can all agree to that as well." This time, there was no opposition. "I take it you all have specific roles in mind with these undertakings?"

"Me and Mary were kind of figuring on kicking off the efforts to communicate with the baddies." Drake agreed. "Gotta do something with our time, after all. So we'd like everybody's permits to have the run of your turfs, and do whatever we can to bring this all about. No uproars if we bring a couple nervous-looking Sahagin into Onrac City one day to have a few drinks and meet the royal family, that sort of thing. I think we can pull it off, but let's be frank, only if you all play fair with this. If we hear that this program breaks down because somebody on 'our' side was playing silly buggers, well, we're not going to be happy."

"Somewhere along the line you changed that from asking for a reward to making a threat." Mary noted.

"Did I?" The elf shrugged. "Silly me."

"My own request is not quite so blatant." Vlad spoke for the first time since entering the throne room. "If we're going to be repairing the world, magic could play a very helpful role, but only if we do it right. With that in mind, I was thinking of compiling an archive and place of study from all of the different countries and peoples, that mages from all over the world could come to in order to learn and contribute."

"Five gold says it's right next to Gurgu!" The anonymous heckler in the back of the crowd yelled again.

"Ahem." Now it was King Mark's turn to cough. "I think we can agree to that."

"With that in mind, I wish to ask for some pardons for a few people who would be interested in helping me start." Vlad nodded, then paused. "Well, the hydra probably won't be any help, but you never know. In particular, they had access to sources of magic that are no longer available to any other in the world. I'd like to get those down on paper."

"You don't mean those four who the Cornerian Guard found buried under rubble behind the Temple of Fiends?" The King of Melmond sputtered. "You can't seriously expect us to let off servants of the Fiends! And you're a fool if you're actually trusting them!"

"I never said I trusted them." Vlad responded with a cold smirk. "I believe I am quite capable of associating closely with people without doing that. Although I do believe that the Wizard of Marsh, Giygas, was observed by many to scream an interesting phrase immediately upon regaining consciousness. Sentiments which were echoed by his three contemporaries in full." He glanced at the Commander of the Guard.

"That is true." Luke's brother, Leon, nodded. "To be specific, the recorded statement was 'That's it! Screw the Fiends, screw Garland, screw evil, screw the whole lot of them! If I ever meet the Light Warriors, I'll give them the goddamn floor plans to the goddamn place and tell them everything I goddamn know, and then I'm joining a goddamn Clinic!' He then attempted to persuade his guards to provide him with materials to construct an effigy of Lich that he could set fire to."

"The defense rests." Vlad shrugged.

"That sounds pretty believable to me." Bahamut agreed. "And it would set a good precedent for getting along with species we were formerly at war with."

"Oh, all right." The King of Crescent Lake grumbled. "Full pardons for the lot of them, although you'll probably want to keep the one named Carlton out of our local Sage's sight."

"Suggestion noted." Vlad agreed.

"While we're on the subject of pardons, I believe there's another man here who belongs with these four." King Mark suddenly smiled. "Bikke the Pirate, please step forward!" After some muttering, the pirate captain somewhat hesitantly walked out of the crowd.

"Ah, yes, yer honor? Er, yer Majesty?" Bikke muttered, looking out of place despite his best efforts at dressing respectable, even braiding his beard for some unknown reason.

"Bikke the Pirate, you are an unaccountable rogue, wanted throughout all kingdoms of the world save Merlish and Cardia for crimes beyond counting." King Mark informed him solemnly. "However, more recently, you have aided and assisted these four heroes in all things, facilitating their salvation of the world greatly. For this, we have agreed; you are a hero as well, Bikke, and all your crew. Your crimes are forgiven. A full pardon, for all past offenses no matter how great, to you and all of your crew."

"Arr, never thought I'd hear those words 'til I was standin' at the gates o' the afterlife!" Bikke crowed, backflipping theatrically and bowing. "We be honored, yer majesties."

"With that in mind, we would appreciate it if you continued to maintain your current motives." The Elf King added. "As he said, it's a pardon for all past crimes. The future is up to you."

"Don't get caught, got it." Bikke winked. "Don'tcha worry, fellas. We'll play almost straight from now on, ya got Bikke's word on that! And if any o' ya ever need somebody taken care of that ya can't execute official-like, for politics or sumthin', yeh all know who to call for dirty deeds done dirt cheap."

"Don't worry, folks." Bahamut snorted, observing the faces on some of the nobles. "I'll keep an eye on him. And a claw, if need be."

"Special discount fer yeh, ol' scaletail!" Bikke replied.

"That just leaves me." Luke cut that off. "Well, to start with, I was thinking of supervising the effort in Lefein. However, before that, there's something I need to ask of you directly, my king." He looked at the Cornerian monarch, who nodded slowly.

"I believe I already know. Sir Luke, hero of Corneria. With her permission, I would bestow my younger daughter's hand in marriage upon you."

All eyes went to the Princess of Corneria, who had maintained her stately image throughout the proceedings without a word. Now, she spoke the formalities, only a slight trace in her eyes showing how much she hated doing so.

"I would be pleased to accept, Sir Luke. However, I must ask as to your intentions upon leaving the country shortly after…" She trailed off, eyes widening as she realized the meaning.

"Yeah." Luke nodded, dropping to one knee. "Come with me, Sara. Stay with me. Please. Don't make me leave you again."

"I accept." The Princess stated simply, eyes now shining with the opposite of their previous emotion, and the room was once more filled with cheering.

"Then it shall be done!" King Mark declared. "All boons granted, all wishes fulfilled, and we shall continue to bend all efforts towards the goals expressed! Let the world be repaired, and let all gathered here swear to this!"

"It shall be done!" Bahamut roared.

"_It shall be done!_" The other rulers echoed.

And the Light Warriors looked around them, and were content with their work.

----------------------------

It was the evening of that day, and to absolutely nobody's surprise, the solemness of the ceremony had given way to a boisterous party without a fight. Men and women from all twelve kingdoms danced and sang and drank side by side, all through the streets of Corneria City. Two of the most avid partygoers were currently taking a break from the wild festivities, sitting on a park bench and watching some of the Gaian nobility taking impromptu shanty lessons from Bikke's pirates.

"My ma always told me class differentiation was a load of hooey." Drake told Mary wistfully as they watched the antics of the two vastly different societies. "Looks like she was more right than she knew. Think everybody would be able to get along this way if they just knew how to try?"

"I'm sure of it." Mary agreed, then paused, her acquired streak of cynicism from her adventures refusing to let her leave it at that. "Well, it might take amounts of alcohol equivalent to the current situation. But it's certainly possible!"

"So the road to world peace is found in the bottom of an ale mug?" The elf shook his head. "That's a bit much, even for me."

"Arr har har, whyzat, matey? Sounds 'bout right to me." Bikke chuckled, stumping over and taking a seat nearby. "I ain't interruptin' nothing', am I?"

"Oh, hey, Bikke." Drake greeted him cheerfully. "Nah, not yet. Give us a few more hours. Ow!" He winced as Mary lightly kicked his shin.

"We're fine, Bikke." The White Wizard smiled as well. "What happened to the fireworks? I thought you were going to go set off that stash you had collected."

"Ol' Bah-Mutt took 'em offa me hands." Bikke explained gloomily. "Wouldn't let me set 'em off. Sumthin' 'bout levellin' the entire city. What a spoilsport, eh, mateys?"

"Levelling the _city?_ Er, Bikke…" Drake coughed. "Where did you get these fireworks, again?"

"I toldja, looted 'em from that flash bastard Warmech." Bikke shook his head disconsolately. "Scaletail was there to bring 'em down too, ye'd think he'd get it about spoils o' war. S'a damn shame, lads, a damn shame."

"Life's hard sometimes." Mary nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure there's more explosives on the _Icarus_ somewhere."

"Yare, probly." Bikke nodded, brightening up. "Speakin' of which, we still leavin' tomorrow on that baby like we planned?"

"As far as I know." Drake agreed. "We'll come back for Luke and Sara's wedding, I guess, but the sooner we get people started on this project the better. Have you thought about where you want to go to get the work done?"

"Aye. Shipyards o' Onrac 're the best in the world. Pravoka're the only ones who can almost match 'em, and those folks probly still ain't too keen on me." Bikke nodded. "The ladies back there know some folks in the right places. We can get the work started soon as we touch in."

"Right, and the two of us can find some folks who are willing to come along." Drake began ticking numbers of his fingers. "We've got humans, an elf-me-and a robot already. Did you try and talk that one dragon from your city into joining up?"

"Aye." Bikke nodded. "He ain't agreein' yet, but he will once Diane an' Denise tell their ma they're comin' along. Always wanted to show the girls the world, an' if this ain't the right time, nothin' is." He paused. "Oh, got another recruit when we picked up the Gaian nobility, by the way."

"Oh?" Mary blinked. "The only other member of Gaia who came here aside from the nobles and my parents was-" Her eyes widened. "Senna? The fairy?"

"Aye!" Bikke chortled. "An' who am I to say no to someone like that?"

"Right, that's a dragon, merfolk, and even a fairy too." Drake nodded. "That just leaves a dwarf or two."

"We'll stop by the ol' cave and see if any of the old boys fancy some terms on the high seas. A couple of 'em have taken a few years with us before." Bikke shrugged. "No problem. Then once the ship's completed, we'll be on our way."

"The biggest ship in the world, with a crew of every species around on our side." Mary shook her head. "I'll give you boys this, when you dream, you dream big."

"If that doesn't convince the people we're going to be trying to talk to that we don't care what they are if they want to be friendly, nothing will." Drake grinned, looking up at the star-filled sky. "We'll let the governments and whatever help with furthering connections once they're made, of course, but the first move's gotta be made by us. They'll just screw it up otherwise."

"I never was much for retirement anyways." Bikke shrugged. "We'll give the _Icarus_ back to Lefein once it's ready. We've had some good times with the bird, but the sea's the place for us at the end o' it all. And then, adventure'll call us again, just like it always does." He stood up. "Well, I'll leave ye two to that few more hours business. Time to see about the rest o' those kabooms ye were suggestin'. Be seein' ya when it's time to go tomorrow." He walked off, and Drake glanced back at Mary.

"You okay with this? I think it's the best way to start things off, but if you've got doubts…"

"No, I think you're on the right track." Mary agreed. "Making contacts with people like Sahagin and Ogres can't be done with strictly law-abiding official types to start with. It's got to be somebody they can find something in common with, and pirates certainly fit that criteria. Besides, they're good people." She paused. "Now, anyways."

"Yeah, might not want to go too far into a past criminal record that's being wiped out anyways." Drake agreed. "And you're okay with keeping up the vagabond lifestyle too?"

"Of course." The White Wizard assured him. "We've talked about this before, remember? After being cooped up in Gaia City for all those years, seeing the world outside never gets old for me. Frankly, I don't think I could settle down in one place if I tried. I don't know how my brother's going to be able to stand it, even in somewhere as nice as Crescent Lake." She paused. "No, wait, actually I do know."

"Haha!" Drake grinned. "Might not wanna let him hear ya talking like that, or else he'll start muttering something about even you turning on him. But yeah, I get where you're coming from. It's the same as me after all those years on Elfland City's streets. We were _made_ for each other." He looked up at the starry night sky. "World's bigger than either of us ever imagined when we were younger. Let's go out, and see it all again, and again, and again. There'll always be something more."

"There always is." Mary agreed.

Side by side, the Thief and the White Wizard remained in the heart of the party, and were joyous.

----------------------------

It was midnight of that same day, and the party following the ceremony hadn't even started to die down yet. Amid the bright lights, loud music, and multitude of alcohol, it had reached the point where one of the guests of honor felt able to slip away without being noticed. His efforts proved successful, and with a smile gracing his harsh features, Vlad returned to his chambers in the castle.

"Well, I suppose that was fun enough." He informed the empty room. "But right now, that sort of thing isn't really my scene. Perhaps I'll enjoy those things more when I'm close enough to Gurgu that you can accompany me in your human form."

"Oh yeah." The Element of Fire agreed as she appeared out of the air. "That'll be a real blast. Shame they probably won't be as big as this one."

"We can always use Time magic to come back here once you've recovered your powers to the point that you can come to Corneria." Vlad suggested, flopping unceremoniously onto a chair. "After everything all those stooges have done, just once I think I'd like to see the look on my face when _I_ do something crazy to me."

"If my siblings hear you talking about ideas like that, they'll go into collective apoplexy." Fire smiled. "So this has some serious potential."

"Har." The Black Wizard chuckled. "We can talk about that later, I think. For now, though, could we talk about some other things?"

"Oh." Fire sat down as well, careful not to light up the furniture. "This is about what happened back in the Temple of Fiends, I'm guessing?"

"Yes." Vlad confirmed, thinking back to that bizarre, brief moment when he had been merged with the Element, both of them combining into the avenger that had struck down Chaos. "I don't believe my vocabulary can cover that, and that's a first. I got some of the story, but…" He looked at her directly. "I'd like to know the rest. It's important to you, I know. That means it's important to me too."

"Are you sure?" She pressed, staring back into his eyes. "It's complicated, and there may be some parts of it you wouldn't want to know. If you really want me to, I'll tell you, but…"

"I do." Vlad confirmed without a moment's hesitation, then glanced at the Orb of Fire, lying on a nearby mantle, glowing warmly. "You and me are closer than the other Elements are to the other Warriors. I don't know where my life's going after this, really; oh, there's that magical school I'll be starting, but there'll be a point when I'm done with that. Maybe I'll get old, and fade away, but I suspect there might be an alternative. You said you wanted me to always be with you. To help you when bad things happened to you. I can, but I have to know how. Tell me. Anything."

Without a word, Fire began tracing a hand around the room. As if she held a paintbrush, the surroundings were replaced by a trail of black, starry darkness. Space surrounded them, with nothing but the void, and she began to speak.

"In the beginning, there was nothing but Chaos." She spoke, and a face appeared in the darkness, inscrutable, undefined, a face without any identifying detail at all. "For a time, Chaos was alone, but eventually even Chaos became lonely. And so, it created companions." Four more faces appeared, just as strange and unworldly, but of bright colors instead of the blackness that made up the first. Brown, red, indigo, yellow. "Earth, fire, water, air. We came into creation, with consciousnesses and wills of our own. And that was where it went wrong for Chaos, because we were beings of order. And we weren't satisfied with the universe as it was. We needed more."

"The world." Vlad realized as the four faces all turned to a rapidly appearing sphere of the elements, growing and changing. "You made the world."

"This one was the first." Fire agreed as the world took shape, becoming more than just the raw elements, turning to the familiar continents and oceans. "We started here. But more came, later." Other worlds began to grow in the endless stars, each one somewhat alike and yet different in many ways. Looking from one to another, Vlad saw flashes of each. An Empire that spread out to conquer all within sight. A world with a moon so close that the satellite grew its own civilization. A place divided between dimensions, one for humans and one for magic. An industrial company, changing and altering the natural way to something mechanical, manmade. A tropical paradise of islands, where water was everything, sport and life and even God.

"All these worlds out there, different…" Vlad murmured. "I never would have guessed. I thought this was all there was."

"That's how most people think." Fire agreed. "All of them, really. Except for us, and of course Chaos, who was not happy with what we had created." The first, dark face changed to anger, to rage. "It was too much order. We had gone too far, but we refused to back down, to unmake the worlds we loved so much. So he decided that he would do it himself. We couldn't keep him out; like us, he became part of the worlds."

"Chaos Knights." Vlad nodded.

"No." Fire shook her head. "That's the way it worked on this world, but on others, things are different. On some of them, he's always been there; on others, he's shaping the world without taking form, waiting for the right mortal. He needs humans, you see; that's the price of not making the worlds. He doesn't have a physical form of his own, he needs to warp somebody else's. But they always come, when he makes them." Again, the images of each world flickering through Vlad's brain. A formless, shifting cloud of eternal darkness, spreading out endlessly. A mad clown, capering wildly among thousands of mutilated corpses. A one-winged demon who called himself an angel. A titanic sphere of water, roaming the world as a natural disaster.

"Compared to some of these, we got off easy." The Black Mage shook his head. "Christ. These worlds are in for hell, aren't they."

"Yeah." Fire agreed somberly. "And if that wasn't enough, he changed _us_ too." In the dark void, the black face snarled at the other four, and they changed, twisting, shifting colors. Orange, blue, purple, green, the faces of the Fiends snarled back, and then all five grinned horribly. "On most of the worlds, he's got us completely. This one was actually the one on which we remained the strongest, since it was first; keeping control even some of the time. On the others… the me that's there… it's worse." Flashing images, one by one. A roaring, twin-headed dragon that bled lava and breathed ash. A tall, demonic man in a violet cloak. A Kary-like cobra-woman, body bound into the hood. "The others are all the same."

"So you decided to make a stand here." Vlad guessed. "Where you still could."

"Exactly." Fire looked pleased at his understanding. "We knew it was possible. If Chaos was slain when he was in the full force of his power, he would be cast out from this world, unable to return. So we wrote a prophecy, and created heroes, to fight the greatest and most dangerous battle of all. We said you were meant to kill the Fiends, but that was just a means to the end of forcing Chaos' hand, and making you strong enough to remove him once he had. It took time, and effort, and more risks than I care to remember, but in the end it all worked. Chaos is gone forever from this world, and with him, so are the Fiends."

"So one world, at least, is safe now." The Black Wizard looked among the cosmos. "And the others? What of them?"

"The precedent has been set. If one world can be recovered, so can the others." Fire explained confidently. "On those worlds, like this one, heroes will eventually come, and they will challenge Chaos in whatever form he takes to attempt destruction of that world. You four started it, and the other worlds will follow. And I will watch from here, as the worlds free themselves one by one, and aid them once they are in any way I can."

"Then I will do so as well." Vlad decided. "However long it takes, I don't really care. I'll stay here with you, and when you go to those worlds I will too, and we'll watch the heroes defeat Chaos again and again. As long as you have work to do, I'll be there to help you with it. Tomorrow, we start with this world, and after it, well…" He smiled. "Just tell me what to do. Anything. Everything. I'll be there."

Together and alone, the Black Wizard and the Element drifted through the sea of stars, and were content.

----------------------------

And then, finally, came the morning of the next day. By the time the sun had finally rose, the celebration had died down, all of its participants either sleeping or unconscious. All save for two, who now sat in familiar places on a balcony of Corneria Castle, where they had met time and time again for years.

"Drake, Mary and the Pirates will be leaving soon, I bet." Luke suggested as the first rays of the sun began to creep over the horizon. "They'll want to be well underway before many other people come to."

"Small chance of that, with how much most of them drank last night." Sara shook her head in mirth. "What was that huge pirate's name? Mr. Smith?"

"Smite." Luke corrected. "Mr. Smite."

"Yes. Seeing him waltzing with that stuffy, pompous toad, Duchess Malian…" Sara's shoulders shook with the effort of not bursting out in loud laughter. "That's something I'll never forget for the rest of my life."

"How about seeing the look on her face when she wakes up and realizes what she was doing?" Luke suggested. "I think that's her under the tree down in the garden, isn't it?"

"Oh gods, that's why her servants couldn't find her." Sara covered her mouth quickly and didn't remove her hands until the shaking had subsided. "If she _ever_ tells me I'm not behaving like a proper lady again, I'll _have_ her."

"Well, that probably ain't going to be too likely." Luke shrugged. "By the time she recovers, with luck we'll be out of here."

"To Lefein." Sara agreed, looking wistfully out over the horizon. "The Yahnikurm Desert. What's it like?"

"Hot. Cold. Sandy. Monsters." Luke shrugged. "Once you've killed one sandworm, you've killed them all."

"So I just need to able to kill a sandworm, and I'll be fine." Sara replied dryly. "Oh, good. I should be able to manage that, no problem."

"Oh, yeah." Luke scratched the back of his head. "Sorta forget about that sometimes."

"Sweet, but not very practical." The Princess tapped her foot thoughtfully. "The Dragon King, Bahamut-he was your master for some time, right? Think he could be talked into teaching me a few things?"

"That might work, yeah." Luke agreed. "I'm sure something can be worked out."

"Good." Sara smiled, ruffling his hair fondly. "You may have gotten ahead of me in swordplay for now, bucko, but I'll be on your trail soon. Count on it."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Luke leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the sunrise. "Drake's good with swords, and the other two are the best spellslingers I could ask for, but no matter what happened out there, something was just never the same as when you and me were out learning from Imps."

"Learning _off_ of Imps." Sara corrected.

"Right, right." The Knight muttered, then pressed on. "Anyways, we've got plenty of swords now that are worlds above standard issue. There'll be one you like the feel of, and then I'm sure we can persuade Bahamut to work with you. He owes me a few favors, I think."

"Having him stick around will keep the nobility terrified, you realize." Sara pointed out with a smirk.

"That too." Luke admitted. "Then we'll get married, head off to Lefein, and we'll never come back to this city unless you want to."

"Well, I will want to see my family on occasion. You will too, of course. But aside from that, yes, I think I could do well without seeing much of this place for a long time." Sara shook her head. "It's a good thing I'm the younger daughter. If I was the elder, you'd have to be the next King, and me the Queen."

"That right there would be the point at which it became a good thing to be well-acquainted with a band of notorious pirates." Luke winced at the mental imagery. "Ah well, way things are we don't have to go that far. S'good enough to be workin' for the best of the world."

"That's what I've always wanted to do, you know." Sara smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Work for the actual best of the world, beyond all the nonsense and rules about royalty and nobility. Work for what's actually important. And now, I'll be able to."

"We both will." Luke kissed her. "And nobody will ever be able to tell us no, ever again."

Together once more, the Knight and the Princess watched the rise of the sun, and were hopeful.

Knight and Thief, White Wizard and Black Wizard, Princess and Element, Pirate and Dragon. Those who had shaped the world and saved the world watched as it awakened around them, in all its beauty and glory, and were satisfied with the work they had done. And the world changed, and grew, and lived once more around them, as the four Orbs of light shone once more, now and forever.

_**Author's Note**_

Once, the Temple of Fiends had been a derelict place, abandoned and collapsed upon itself like a rotting fruit. Shrunken stubs of towers, windows covered and broken, the shining white marble faded down to a dull, diseased grey. Once. Now, the Temple of Elements was a wondrous place once more. A perfectly square, white marble building with four corner towers, each one dedicated to one of the Temple's masters, bright and shining from the many windows that allowed the sun's light to smile upon the temple's interior. The people had not yet returned-old habits died hard-but in time they would. For now, though, the Temple's four occupants were content with their solitude as they looked upon the job they had done and were pleased.

"Well, that's a wrap, looks like." Earth clapped his hands. "I think we did pretty good, all things considered, with the material we had to work with."

"_They_ did pretty good, you mean." Fire corrected. "I'm the one who got the most screen time out of us, and even I was in the background for almost the entire thing."

"Yeh get more done that way." Water shrugged, then cocked an eyebrow at his other sister, who was gloomily shifting through a pile of mail. "What's wrong? I'm guessin' that's about the cleanup, but so far as I can tell he didn't even _have_ any of his own characters in here this time that did much. Mr. Smite was about as close as it gets. I'll have to watch him bug Bikke's crew. Should be fun."

"That's the thing, brother." Air sighed, throwing the mail over her shoulder. "In case you've forgotten, _we_ weren't exactly in the game either. Doesn't matter that we make logical sense."

"Ahhh geez, I knew it was too early to celebrate." Fire smacked her forehead. "Right, I won't even bother with the obvious asking of when he'll be here. Get in here, you, and let's get this over with."

"Ha ha… you people are starting to catch on." The man standing in the Temple's doorway chuckled as he walked in. A tall, pale man clad in Black Wizard's robes, his blue hair and sunglasses were oddly matched. "Although I still don't get why you all seem to find my presence so offensive."

"Look at it like a metaphor." Earth suggested. "You need to break down the fourth wall for this, and we get to be the battering rams. Headfirst."

"You know, that almost makes sense until you actually start thinking about it." The weird man commented, dumping a briefcase on the central altar and popping it open. "Actually, that fits most of _my_ logic, so I can't complain."

"Just get to work." Water growled. "Put the damn bold letters up already, and don't go forgettin' 'em here when yer done."

"Don't worry. Learned my lesson about that when Agahnim's daughter spiked them into my spinal column last time." The stranger snapped his fingers.

**Youse Thank Legalities Ande**

"Hm, that doesn't look quite right." He frowned up at the hanging letters.

"It'll do." Fire assured him. "You should see some of the patch jobs _we've_ had to do around here some days."

"Really?" The weird man glanced at her.

"Quiet!" Air snapped at her. "Er, nothing, sir. Please, continue your work. Don't mind me."

"If you say so." The stranger turned back to his work, and all four Elements smiled in relief. "I'll just let Internal Security investigate it directly, then." The smiles disappeared. "Okay then! Legal shite as usual, Final Fantasy is copyright Square and I make no claims as to the series, game, yadda yadda yadda. I don't want any trouble. And neither had anybody else who even _thinks_ of posting this somewhere else and claiming it as their own, hint hint. Right, next. Thank-yous." He glanced out a window. "All right, get in here."

"Not again." Air groaned as the window swung open (remarkable considering the lack of a hinge) and a grey cloaked-and-hooded man dropped in. "Sahasrala told me about this. What's next, the third brother showing up too?"

"Nah, he stays pretty well clear of this crap." The second man shook his head. "So far, anyways. And I'm not even going to bother pointing out everything that's wrong with that title. What did I tell you about WUIs?"

"Hey, I'm _not_ drunk. Yet." The first man defended himself. "It just came out like that."

"Yeah, whatever." The other man snorted. "Anyways, for those of you who don't know, I'm this clown's editor, primarily spellchecker, since the automated one's about as useful as an umbrella in a rain of mack trucks. Were it not for me, his stuff would probably read a lot worse. At least I _think_ he's improving from earlier."

"All right, enough." The first man grumbled. "You've said your bit, now get out of here."

"Hey, can I throw him out if he won't leave by himself?" Water grinned, forming an orb of liquid in one hand.

"Sure." The first guy shrugged.

"That's it, I'm gone." The other one backflipped back through the window, failing to notice that it had closed itself in his absence. All four Elements winced as the glass shattered. "_Ow!_ Why the hell do people always _do that_ to me? Get some fresh air once in a while, dammit!"

"Oh, go mug some Creep!" The first man yelled, then shook his head. "Right then, back to the point. The rest of the thank-yous, fortunately, are much simpler. Erico, friend and mentor in writing. Still owe you that six-pack of grape, boss. Masboy and SapphireFlame, who've given me line-by-line feedback. Very helpful; thanks, fellas. My longest-term internet pals, the Ethereal Ferret, Chibi Schala, Mr. Chimpo, and Lark. Sorry I'm not around much these days, if any of you actually read this tripe. And finally, all my readers. S'no point in writing this if nobody's gonna read it, and though I seem to be going through a rough stretch in whatever 'popularity' I have, I still wanna thank whoever's still bothering to keep up."

"Yeah yeah, pity party, we got it, move on." Fire shook her head.

"You want your next memo to come in the form of a ten-ton lead block?" The stranger threatened. "No? All right then. I'm moving on anyways." He snapped his fingers once more.

**Let I Getters!**

"_That_ ain't right." Earth commented.

"No shit, Sherlock." The weird man frowned. "Maybe I'd better get Mechanical to have a look at that. For now, though, let's just keep going. Only about half the people bother reading this anyways."

"How self-conscious." Air murmured.

"Shaddup. Right, this is to answer questions in letters/reviews that I haven't already in the text or another fashion." The stranger began pulling papers out of his briefcase. "First, Amethyst Nighthut asked about Garland. Specifically, as to whether he planned to lose, or actually hoped to win. It's the latter; as I tried to make clear, old G-Man's mental state was pretty busted up by that point, especially when the Fiends weren't around to help him out. He had no idea of the contingency plan at that point. Right, moving on. Next, the Random Reviewer asked if I was going to do any character bashing." He scowled. "Absolutely _not_. I take these tales just a _bit_ too seriously for that kind of shit. This is a story, not an editorial, and personally, not much pisses me off more than mindless 'OMG SO-AND-SO SUCKS BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE THEM.' The day anything along those lines _ever_ shows up in my work is the day I give my brother license to shoot me in the head."

"I'd do it, too." A voice from outside the window commented.

"Get outta here!" Earth yelled, hurling a boulder through the opening.

"Okay, next." The weird man paused. "Well, this one's not really a question, but… Stewie pointed out the references for the super-minor villains Garland hand-picked for his trip through time. Sorta. While Myria was indeed in Breath Of Fire 3, I actually had her role in Breath Of Fire _1_ in mind. See, that way they're all SNES golden age RPGs."

"You are _such_ a nerd." Fire shook her head. "But I'm hooked up with Vlad, so I guess I can't talk."

"Exactly. Quiet." The stranger packed the letters back in his briefcase. "Right, that's it for that. Last section, ho."

**Blah-Blah-Blah**

"Yeah, definitely gotta talk to Mechanical about that." The weird man muttered. "Well, anyways. This time, I'm gonna try something different. Specifically, I'm gonna ask all of you who are still reading this for a favor. Details in reviews. I want to keep getting better, and there's only one way to do this; figure out what I'm good at, and what I'm not. Does Drake need a six-month crash course in comedy clubs? Do my fight scenes come off worse than _Dragon Ball Z_? Is the romance so embarrassingly bad that I'll need to read stuff specifically about that to get it right?" He shuddered, then straightened up. "If I want to be published some day, I need to know what to work on. So if you really enjoyed this, please, help me out a little. I appreciate it, I really do."

"I think they get the point already." Earth noted mildly. "Was there anything else?"

"Yeah, just one more thing." The odd man nodded. "Next time, it's Mega Man 7, hopefully to nobody's surprise. And needless to say, this one's going to be important. Failure is _not_ an option this time. So it'll probably be a few months before it comes along-this time, I'm preparing exhaustively. And hoping whatever the hell is wrong with the upload system that keeps cutting off the ends of my chapters is fixed by then." He paused. "On that note, I'm genuinely sorry for the break after Chapter 10. I explained in my Profile, but for those who didn't check there, my lousy paying job crushed my time to the point that I couldn't keep up with the update schedule, so I felt it was right to take a break and build up a lead. And even with that lead, it ended up awfully close-at the time I'm writing this, the end goes live in one day. Life sucks sometimes."

"Beats the alternative." Fire commented. "_Now_ are you done?"

"Yeah, all right." The stranger packed the bold letters into his briefcase. "Get back to work, you four. Just because I don't plan a sequel to this one doesn't mean you get to slack off. I'll be in touch. And I'll take this-don't think the owner needs it anymore." Grabbing a straw hat off the coatrack by the Temple's door, he walked away into this distance, humming to himself.

_Magus523 May 05, 2007 _


End file.
